


Cold War

by Infie



Series: Mission Series 2: Manticore Burned [2]
Category: Dark Angel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Character Death, Drama, F/M, Gen, Swearing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-25
Updated: 2003-01-25
Packaged: 2017-12-16 05:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infie/pseuds/Infie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six months after Freak Nation, Terminal City is tearing itself apart, and White is taking full advantage both from outside and from within.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold War

**Author's Note:**

> This is chronologically set after Learning of Alec, but it is worth noting that Search and Seizure and Seek and Destroy were both written between LoA and Cold War.
> 
> This will likely make most sense if the others are read first, but it can stand alone or in a different order.

Alec stood on top of the building that the Terminal City residents had designated as headquarters, staring out over the ruins. Six months of effort had resulted in the streets being clean between the deliberately created barricades, and the windows being scrubbed free of grime, but there was no hiding the nature of the place. Terminal City was an abandoned dream, and while the transgenics regarded it as a welcome refuge, it was still no home.

His lips compressed as he considered the passage of time. The initial blush of success had passed, and the unrelenting pressure of the siege was telling on everyone. While they could leave TC virtually at will, thanks to weeks of effort in terms of creating ingress and egress routes through the perimeter, only the X-series could pass unremarked on the outside, and even they were increasingly at risk as the thermal imagers became commonplace. The transgenics were working on that, but the best option was still to dress and act like someone who was unpleasantly ill. Not much fun. After the first twenty or so times of noisily sneezing on the closest sector cop, even playing sick could get old.

Then, there were all of the transgenics that had not made TC their home, scattered across the country. Every few days there was another story of a new lynching, a new atrocity committed in the name of purity. The influx of transgenics into TC was rapidly becoming more than the community could support, and everyone was becoming restive. White's Familiars and their constant harrassing attacks waged a war of attrition; a transgenic captured here, another there, and the ordinary population was kept on the razor edge of fear and loathing, preventing even a little progress towards unification. Then, there were the divisions _within_ Terminal City....

Alec sighed and rubbed aching eyes with one hand. Despite the mounting list of casualties, Max still insisted on working a bloodless solution with the ordinaries. Bloodless for _them_ , of course.... there had been enough _transgenic_ blood spilled so far to float a canoe down main street. The people in TC hadn't been designed to turn the other cheek unless it was to spit defiance, and they increasingly saw Max's idealism as squeamishness, or worse, as a sympathy for the ordinaries over her kin. The problem was, privately, Alec couldn't bring himself to disagree with them. So far all waiting and negotiating had accomplished was a lot of dead and damaged transgenics, people Alec called friends. Max had to show some real leadership soon, something tangible; some concern for the transgenics... _all_ the transgenics, not just her friends. If she didn't, she was going to lose control of the City. And no amount of support from him would change that.

_{Christ. How did it all go so wrong?}_

Alec was startled out of his reverie by the sound of the door to the rooftop opening. He spun around, instinctively stepping sideways into the shadow of the generator. He relaxed as he recognized Johan, a slim, blond, one time unit-mate from Manticore. Johan was grinning widely, and he looked as though he was trying to contain his excitement. "Hey, Alec! You've gotta come see this."

Alec looked at him warily, but followed him downstairs anyway. Johan led him into the main room, where a semi-circle of X5s stood with their backs to him. He stopped, and they turned, then stepped aside so he could see behind them. His face broke into a huge grin.

A tall, dark man dressed in black jeans and a snowy white dress shirt stood behind them. His black eyes glittered with pleasure, and a wide smile graced his face, even teeth flashing white in his caramel-skinned face. He spread his hands and turned in a circle, as if to say 'see'? His jet black hair was glossy in the overhead light, and a goatee made the smile faintly satanic. Alec heard a couple of the nearby women sigh.

Alec took two great steps and clasped the other man in a huge hug. "529!" he exclaimed. 529 returned the embrace with enthusiam, then broke away and clapped Alec hard on the shoulder, still grinning widely.

"It's Rhys, now." He laughed. "Going by 529 could get me into... uh.. hot water these days, ya know."

Alec nodded. "How'd you end up with Rhys?"

529's brows came together. "It's the weirdest thing," he said. "I was out in the field when Manticore went down, as you know. I'm coming back in through Toronto, and I stop by this church to meet my contact. Well, damned if I didn't run into a bunch of nuns, led by some woman named Sister Dani, who insisted my name had to be Rhys." He shook his head. "I haven't been able to shake it since."

Alec nodded wisely. "Those nuns know their stuff." He said. Rhys laughed.

"And, uh... you'll never guess who I ran into." Rhys took a couple of steps back, and gestured at the doorway. Another man stepped through the door warily, as if unsure of his welcome. He was dressed the same as Rhys, and had glossy black hair, but there the resemblance ended. His eyes were a warm, dark brandy, and his light skin marked him as a native of a more northern climate. His face had high cheekbones that made him look faintly slavic, and he had full lips that Alec bet the women were already fantasizing about.

Alec felt his face tighten slightly, but he walked forward and shook the man's hand.

"I see you remember Andrei." Rhys' voice was amused.

"Yeah." Alec grinned. "I never got to shake your hand for what you did in Uzbekistan." He paused. "Never got to do this, either." Without warning, he punched Andrei full in the face, sending him sprawling. "I told you I don't like being shot," he said evenly.

Rhys blinked as the semi-circle of transgenics closed up behind Alec, all looking at Andrei with distinctly unfriendly eyes. Andrei waved his hand at them. "I'm fine." He said.

"I don't think they were planning on helping you up." Rhys laughed. "I see that some things haven't changed." His eyes shifted to a disturbance just outside the door, and widened in appreciation. He whistled softly as Max strode through the door, irritation in her face. She stopped dead as she took in the scene, then moved to stand beside Alec.

"What's going on, here?" She snapped. Alec's lips twitched.

"This is Rhys. He was Biggs' com officer at Manticore." Max's face relaxed into a smile, and she shook Rhys's hand willingly. Alec turned to Andrei, who was just rising and brushing himself off. His grin turned malicious. He gestured to the woman beside him, talking to Rhys, but his eyes were on Andrei. "Rhys, this is Max, our fearless leader." Some of the trangenics behind him shifted a little, but Alec ignored them, watching Andrei's attention sharpen abruptly. "She was once known as X5-452."

Max shot him a frown, not noticing Andrei whiten as Alec said her designation with unholy glee. "The name is Max." She said firmly, finally turning her attention to the other man, extending her hand. She was shocked when he took a giant step forward and lifted her in an exuberant hug. Alec laughed.

"Max," he continued his introductions as she struggled uselessly to get loose. "This is Zane." Max stilled, and Rhys looked confused. Alec laughed again. "I believe you two have met?" Max pried herself loose from Zane and glared at Alec.

"Strange how you never mentioned that _you_ had." Her tone promised a further discussion later. Suddenly she grabbed Zane and turned him around, examining his neck. She released him and pushed him away. "You don't have a barcode," she told him suspiciously.

Zane nodded. "That's right." He looked at Alec. "Can we discuss this somewhere else, 494?"

"It's Alec, now." Alec waved a hand, and the surrounding transgenics muttered but began to disperse. Rhys stepped to Alec's side with a stubborn expression that said he wasn't going to be removed any time soon, and Alec grinned to himself. He led the way to one of the common rooms, furnished with chairs that were almost comfortable. The four of them arranged themselves around the coffee table in the centre.

"Let's start with how you two hooked up." Alec's voice held the unmistakable tone of command. Rhys and Zane exchanged looks, then Rhys shrugged and started to speak.

"Like I said before, I was heading back through Toronto, stopped by the church, and I decided to hit the hockey game before continuing on." Rhys bit his lip. "Someone in the crowd had a thermal scanner, and was picking out the transgenics."

"I thought Canada was supporting the transgenics." Max interrupted.

"They are. This was some unsanctioned group, people I've never seen before. They were freaky, man. We weren't going anywhere without a fight, but these guys... they didn't seem to feel any pain. And strong... Worse than Kazakhstan." He paused, eyes shadowed at the memory. "The cops came and broke it up, and that's when I ran into Andrei here. Or Zane, or whatever his name is. Of course, I remembered him." He shot Zane a dark look, and the other man laughed. "I try to remember everyone who fires a tazer into my chest. But we worked it out, and I knew he was transgenic, cause he'd been picked out of the crowd with everyone else. I knew that 511 was holed up here, so I figured I'd head this way."

Max's hand moved to Alec's knee at the mention of Biggs, and he patted her hand, giving her a smile. Rhys noticed the exchange, and his smile faltered. Alec turned to Zane. "You." He said evenly. "Talk."

Zane laughed again. "Where to start?" he thought a moment, looking between Max and Alec, then came to a decision. He addressed Alec. "When I left you, I headed back to the States for a bit. Hooked up with brother Zack, did some regular work for a while. I was working in LA when we were exposed a couple of years ago, so I headed north, hooked up with some old contacts, and went back to the mercenary business." Max blinked rapidly, and it was Alec's turn to squeeze her hand.

"The barcode, Zane."

Zane sighed. "Would you believe I lasered it off?" Alec just looked at him. "OK, OK. When I told you British SAS, I wasn't being entirely untruthful." He stood and began to pace. "They felt that the barcode was entirely too recognizable, and tried everything they could think of to remove it. Finally, they hit upon tattooing."

The other three exchanged a confused look.

"Tattooing?" Rhys' disbelief spoke for all of them.

"They tatooed over the barcode, with a complementary colour dye. To the naked eye, the different wavelengths of light cancel each other out, and you're left with my normal skin colour." Zane looked Alec directly in the eye. "You can only see the barcode under ultra-violet light."

Not looking away, Alec raised his voice. "Hey Dix!"

The diminutive transhuman appeared at the door of the common room as if by magic. "Yeah, Alec?"

"I need an ultraviolet light."

"Sure thing, boss." Dix scurried away, reappearing a moment later with a UV wand. He handed it over and left without asking any questions, and Rhys' lips quirked in a smile.

"You're running a tight unit here, 4.. Alec." He told his friend.

Alec's eyes still didn't leave Zane's, and he rose, gesturing for Zane to turn around. "It's Max's unit, Rhys," he said. "I'm just here for decoration." He flipped on the wand, shining the light on the exposed back of Zane's neck and ignoring Rhys' skeptical look. Max and Rhys came to look, too.

Zane's barcode stood out clearly, black against the purple glow on his skin. Alec glanced at Max, who nodded. It was her brother. Alec clicked off the wand and turned his gaze to Rhys.

"Hey man. Let me show you around." His eyes flickered to Max, who was resting a hand hesitently against Zane's rich, dark hair, tears in her eyes. "Give these two some time." Rhys nodded, and followed him out of the room.

Alec led Rhys throughout the headquarters, pointing out the cafeteria, the comms sections, and the central room used as the brain center of Terminal City, introducing him to the rest of the population of TC he didn't know, and grinning through the reunions with his old unit mates. Alec had expected him to want to break off with some of them to catch up, but Rhys stuck with him. He scanned each room eagerly, and after the tenth or twelfth time, Alec finally figured it out. He stopped, stepped aside into an unused office, and shut the door. Rhys looked at him quizzically.

"He's not here." Alec stated baldly. "511... Biggs... he's not here."

Rhys straightened, face tightening. "Where is he, 494?"

Alec refused to look away. "He's dead. He was killed by a group of ordinaries a little over six months ago."

Rhys whitened, and swayed slightly, then moved and sat heavily in the office chair by the door. "What happened?" he asked hoarsely.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Alec spoke to the air, not looking at Rhys. "He got picked out by the thermal imager before we knew about it, and his face was splashed all over. We tried to warn him; tried to go pick him up, but by the time we got there..." He broke off.

"Tell me."

"By the time we got there he was already beaten to death." Alec's jaw bunched. "And hung by his ankles. While the ordinaries had a fucking party."

Rhys surged to his feet, knocking the chair over backwards, breathing hard. "Fuck." He said softly, fists clenched. "Fuck."

Alec swallowed, all his rage flooding back as if it were yesterday. He placed his hand on Rhys' shoulder, giving what comfort he could. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah."

* * *

_"Hey, White. I'm in."_

_The silky, menacing voice on the other end of the cell phone hummed with pleasure. "Glad to hear it. How are things progressing? Was it difficult to get in there?"_

_"No problems. I told you, I've got an in with 494."_

_"There better not be any problems. There is a lot riding on the success of this operation. Don't fuck up."_

_"Words to live by, Ames."_

 

* * *

Alec strode into the command centre to the welcome sound of laughter. Dix and Rhys were hunched together over one of the computer systems, chuckling to themselves every few seconds. In the two weeks since Rhys' arrival, he'd slotted himself into life at Terminal City seamlessly, like the cog of the engine that no one knew was missing til it was replaced. Alec felt a flash of grief. Biggs had been like that, too. For someone who'd only been at TC for such a short time, he had left a big hole, and Alec knew that was one of the reasons he'd kept Rhys out of the field. He shook his head at himself.

Joshua was reading nearby, looking up from time to time and giving his toothy grin. Alec patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, Josh." he said, lifting his chin at the giggling pair. "What's up?"

Joshua laughed. "Rhys and Dix, cracking codes."

"Oh yeah?" Alec's brows rose with interest. "529 always did like playing with that stuff. What kinda codes?"

"DOD codes." Joshua huffed happily. "Code bitches, going down."

"DOD codes." Alec moved up behind Dix and Rhys. "Find anything interesting?"

Rhys leaned back and stretched, customary white shirt straining against his shoulders. "Lots. Did you know Manticore was a DOD based operation?"

"No." Alec leaned over to look. "What have you managed to get to?"

"Well, it's taken all morning, and I don't know that someone who wasn't already pretty intimate with the Manticore systems would even have been able to _find_ this, let alone get in, and ..." Dix broke off as Alec laid a hand on his shoulder.

Rhys chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Backups!" He laughed. "Identification is as far as I've gotten so far. They changed all the keys sets from what we had at home."

"We did find that they have a lot of stuff on you, Alec." Dix chattered at him excitedly. "Under Missions, Re-indoctrination, Psychological Operations, Psychological Analysis and.. uh..." he squinted at the screen. "DNA assay and analysis."

Alec had been nodding along with the list, a half smile on his face. When Dix hit 'DNA', his smile froze. He frowned. "What have they got on me under there?"

Rhys shrugged. "Haven't managed to crack that yet. But when I was poking around at home, it was mostly stuff about that virus they were so concerned about. Uh... Argent." He winced in remembrance. "I stopped looking as soon as I read that name."

Alec's eyes narrowed. "Find out." He paused. "Who else is there?"

Dix looked. "Uh... we have files here on the whole X-series, it looks like."

Rhys spoke up. "There's a couple of separate areas here though. Codes... Resurrection, Prevention, and Separation."

"Prevention. What's in there?"

Dix looked. "The file names are encrypted. There's only five or so, though."

Alec frowned. "Resurrection, then."

Rhys whistled softly. "Files on about... 40 X-series, here. You, Max.." He paused, scanning for codes he recognized. "511 is here. And 656." He spun in his chair to look up at Alec. "Wasn't that one of the '09 escapees?"

Alec nodded, rubbing his temple as he thought. "Yeah. Tinga, I think." He brought his hand down, came to a decision. "Start with the Resurrection files. I want to know what the hell they were up to."

Dix and Rhys nodded, bending back to their screens. Alec turned to find Joshua standing right behind him, eyes intent.

"What are you thinking, Alec?" Joshua asked softly.

"I don't know yet, Josh." Alec clapped him on the shoulder. "But I don't like it already." He looked up and saw Zane heading his way. "Gotta go, big guy." Joshua nodded and stepped aside, but moved to sit with Dix and Rhys as Alec left.

"Zane!" he called as he caught up. "What's up?"

"Tattooing stuff." Zane dropped his armload of equipment on the table used for planning missions. "I think I got enough colours to match just about anyone here, but it will take some work to find the right combination for each of us." He scratched behind his ear thoughtfully. "It took about 30 tries to get me right, but they excised the barcode first."

"They excised the barcode?" Max arrived at the table, looking at her brother askance. "You mean they cut it off your neck?"

"Yeah." Zane continued to rummage and sort. "For the experimenting part, sure. You can't screw up on the real deal, or people can tell. And believe me, it's a much bigger bitch to have it cut off over and over."

Max stared at him. "I don't want to know how you know that."

Zane looked at her, eyes blank. "The same way Zack knew it, Max."

Max remembered Zack's scarred neck. "Oh," she said.

Zane took pity on her. "I wore my hair long as much as possible." He told her with a grin. "And they figured out the mix pretty quickly, all in all. At least, once it's tattooed, it's a permanent fix." He paused. "Unless it gets cut off again, of course."

Max shuddered. "Great. Appreciate that image, Zane."

Alec fiddled with one of the tattoo needles, face blank as he remembered the last time barcodes had been cut off of transgenics. "Anaesthetic." He said suddenly. He paused, his brows coming together as something tickled the edge of his mind. "Anaesthetic.... anaesthetic.... fuck..."

"What is it, Alec?" Max was frowning, too. He held up a hand to stop her, turning away and thinking hard, trying to drag the memory into the forefront of his mind. Suddenly his head came up, and a moment later he was back at the computers, hand on Dix's shoulder for balance as he leaned over him. Rhys scooted away so Alec could fit.

"Melatonin, Dix." Alec said urgently. "Look up Melatonin, DHEA, and Thrysotoxin." Dix's fingers danced over the keys.

"Nothing, Alec."

"Shit." Alec stood, closed his eyes, and paced. "Try: Melatonin, DHEA, and Trigoriacin." Dix tapped rapidly.

"Bingo, Alec. Three hits." Dix punched up the first one, scanned the summary, and looked up at Alec wide-eyed. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

"If you think it means we can walk around outside and not trip those cursed thermal sensors, it does." Rhys said, staring at the screen. "Where the hell did _this_ come from?"

"Thermal maskers." Alec was pacing again. "We used thermal maskers to deke out temperature switches, cause they're usually set to trigger on higher temperatures than the baseline, but not lower." He ran his hand through his hair. "But we couldn't use those here, because a too low basal temperature would be just as big a giveaway as too high on those damned screens. The same kind of problem was there for cooling vests or suits; too hard to maintain a specific temperature over the whole body... heads, hands and feet show up different shades, and any kind of power source lights the damned thing up like a sun. We needed ... need... a way to precisely lower our basal temperature, not by too much or too little. Just by about a degree and a half."

Max nodded. "With you so far."

"About 20 years ago, there was a lot of research done in the field of stroke recovery, which found that certain drugs could lower someone's temperature, inducing artificial hypothermia. Melatonin was used for sleep deprivation studies, and it had the side effect of lowering temperature, as did DHEA. When they were combined 14 years ago with Trigoriacin, it was discovered that the temperature of the human body could be very precisely controlled." Dix read off the screen, then turned to Alec. "This has some pretty crummy side effects, Alec."

Alec returned to the screen. "This information is almost fifteen years out of date, Dix. And I'd be willing to bet that there is something in those Manticore files for dealing with it."

"Alec... how did you know about this?" Max stared at him. "Why didn't you bring it up before?"

"Because I forgot." Alec closed his eyes, rubbed his forehead again. "When I went to re-indoctrination, after... after Berrisford; they went a little too far. I needed surgery. They gave me Trigoriacin as an anaethesthetic, to keep my body at a low enough temperature that I wouldn't be..." he heaved a resigned breath, swallowed. "... permanently damaged."

Rhys turned away, shoulders tight as he made a show of returning to his keyboard. Max nodded thoughtfully, and Zane looked at Alec a little wide-eyed.

"Lucky you thought of it, Alec." Dix was excited. "This could mean all the difference for us outside."

Joshua spoke up for the first time. "This could let us take the fight to them."

"Word, my brother." Mole had entered the room unnoticed. He swung his ever-present shotgun to his shoulder. "About time, I say. Time to kick some ordinary ass."

Max flushed. "We can't afford to 'kick ordinary ass'." She told Mole heatedly. "We need to lay low, let them forget about us. If we make any hostile moves, it'll give them the excuse they're looking for.."

"The excuse?" Mole laughed harshly. "To do what? Kill us?" He thrust his jaw forward and clamped his cigar between his teeth. "Seems to me tranny killin's been the course of the day for quite a while now."

Max shook her head. "Mole. We need to be better than they are." She told him passionately. "They aren't all like the ones that are attacking transgenics. We just need to reach them."

"Look, lady." Mole ground out, "I was all for this unification thing six months ago, but I'm telling you right now, I am not gonna die for your ideals."

" _Our_ ideals, Mole. We need to be able to live with these people when all this is over."

Another angry voice spoke up from the other side of the room. "What we need is..."

"It doesn't matter!" Alec's voice whipcracked across the impending argument. All the transgenics in the room straightened involutarily in response, even Max. Alec took a breath and consciously softened his tone. "We have a lot of work to do before it even becomes a possibility. Max. What do you need us to do?"

Max stared at him a moment before replying. "Dix. Make a list of volunteers for the drug testing. No one under X-6." Dix nodded, scribbled a note. "Zane. We'll need you to arrange a schedule for the tattoos. We'll start with me and Alec. Try and group us by skin tones, so that we'll minimize the time needed for colour matching. Dalton, you're with Zane." They nodded and picked up the tattooing equipment, then looked at Alec.

"Take the second floor." He told them quietly. "And make me a list of what you need for power, anaesthetic, instruments, and so on. Get... uh... Lise to help you. She was a med specialist." They left.

"We need a full list of the populace here." Max continued. "Weight, height, age, for dosing. And we're gonna need a lot of these drugs."

Mole and Joshua exchanged looks. "Just tell us where, Max."

Max nodded at Dix, who made another note. "I'll have a list in a couple hours. We might need some out of town trips, though."

"Then we'll make out of town trips." Alec sounded irritated, even to his own ears. He was distracted by Johan's quiet approach.

"What have you got, Johan?" Max asked him tiredly.

"We still have four transgenics missing." Johan told her bluntly. "Chase, Click, Sven, and Mel." his eyes slid to Alec with the last name. Mel was one of their unit mates. "Mel's been gone six days now."

Alec's face was blank. "Thank you, Johan." He said carefully. "Zane and Dalton are upstairs. They could use your help." Johan nodded and left. Alec's lips compressed.

"I gotta go out for a bit," he said, looking straight ahead. "I'll be back later."

Even as Alec moved for the door, Rhys was at his shoulder. Alec gave him a cold glare, but Rhys just raised his eyebrows and looked disinterested. "So, where we going?"

Alec shook his head and preceeded him out the door.

 

* * *

"So. You were in a hurry to get _here_?"

"No." Alec's voice was chilly. "I was in a hurry to get _out_." He sighed. "I figured I might as well do something useful while I was busy escaping my...er...thoughts." He shot Rhys a sideways look. "Why are you here, pretty boy?"

Rhys winced dramatically, slapping a hand over his heart. "I'm wounded that you see only my surface, 4...Alec." He smirked as Alec growled. "I was bored." He shrugged. "Or I just don't want to tell you. Take your pick."

Alec sighed. "I begin to see why people find _me_ so annoying," he muttered to himself. Rhys snickered.

"Hey... I learned from the best." He looked back at the building they faced. "So... what's up with this place?"

The two men lay prone on a shadowed rooftop overlooking a deserted streed, the only light coming from partially lit streetlights. The building they faced was a nondescript warehouse with broken windows leering jaggedly into the darkness. The only thing that made this building stand out beside the others was the three armed men patrolling it casually every fifteen minutes or so.

"It's a drug warehouse. They stock some of what we'll need."

Rhys nodded slowly. "Cool. Let's go." He started forward, and Alec restrained him with a hand on his arm.

"All I had planned for tonight was recon, Rhys."

"So? That was when there was just you. Now there's both of us. Let's go."

"No... I don't think the time is right." Alec's voice came out hesitantly, and he cursed inwardly. Rhys froze, and turned to pin him with a glare.

"Look, Alec. I spent the last three years in solo operations. I know what I'm doing, here. You don't need to protect me. I know that you've been keeping me to the sidelines." Rhys paused, softened his tone. "I can take care of myself. Really."

Alec stared at him a minute, then gritted his teeth and nodded. "Sorry," he said. "I know I've been an ass."

"You've been a old granny." Rhys told him frankly, coming to a crouch and preparing to jump to the next building before the guards returned. "But, hey.. that's nothing new." He leaped.

Alec stared after him, aggrieved. "I am _not_ an old granny!" He hissed after Rhys, knowing the other transgenic would hear him. Rhys just snorted and made a run before vaulting the space between his location and the warehouse roof. He landed with a faint 'oof', and Alec smirked and followed. He landed beside Rhys soundlessly, and arched an eyebrow pointedly.

"Oh, shut up." Rhys told him. "It was quiet enough."

Alec licked his lips, gave him a superior look, and moved to the nearest skylight into the building.

"It was." It was Rhys' turn to grit his teeth. "Prick."

Alec's snicker was almost lost in the wind. "You say that like it's a bad thing." He dropped through the skylight.

"You know, now _I'm_ starting to understand why people find you annoying." Rhys said to the air, and followed.

They found themselves among stacks of boxes. Each took one side, scanning labels and codes rapidly. "Hey, Alec. What are we looking for again?"

"This place carries Melatonin, DHEA, and Tryptophan, so we'll be getting some of those." Alec replied, picking boxes off shelves at random. "But we need to hide this, make it look as though it was a standard break in. So just grab a little of a lot." He paused, looking at a box of hormone-replacement drugs. "Hey Rhys... when was your last shot at Manticore?"

"About two and a half years ago."

Alec's grinned into the darkness. "So... when did you last go into heat?"

"Toronto." Rhys answered him without thinking, then stiffened as Alec snickered. "It wasn't funny."

"It never is." Alec's lips twitched. "What'd you do?"

"Practically the whole nun contingent." Rhys winced as Alec laughed out loud. "You know, I always thought nuns were supposed to be chaste, but these ladies had some serious imagination."

Alec grinned at his friend's discomfiture, then sobered. "The shots are only good for twenty four or twenty six months. We'll be running into problems soon, with both sexes." He scanned the nearby boxes, then grabbed a stack. "Some extra birth control might be useful, too." He reached into the right side pocket of his cargos, withdrew a large black fabric bag, and began dropping the boxes inside.

"Just recon, my ass." Rhys muttered, tossing another couple of boxes inside.

Alec just shrugged. "Let's go get the good stuff, buddy."

They filled the sack with a generous sampling of what they needed, and some things they didn't, then re-arranged the boxes so that it looked as though they'd never been there.

 

* * *

They made it back to TC before midnight, and the place was still buzzing with activity. Zane was organizing the transgenics present into similar skin colours, holding up various bottles of iridescent tattoo inks and rubbing behind his ear thoughtfully. Alec waved Rhys on with their loot and headed over.

"Aren't those a little.. bright?" He asked, eying the containers skeptically.

Zane grinned at him. "They need to interfere with the wavelengths of light produced by your barcode. You don't get that with skin tones. And... speaking of barcodes.." He gestured towards the stairwell. "Lise is waiting to remove yours. Max is already done."

Alec winced and headed reluctantly for the stairs. "At least I just brought in some extra anaesthetic," he muttered. He paused at the bottom of the steps. "Any news on our missing members?" He asked.

Dix shook his head wordlessly, and Alec headed upstairs.

Rhys watched him go from the table where he had dumped their cargo of stolen pharmaceuticals. He bit his lip, then turned back to sort the drugs, coming nose to top of head with Max, who was watching him suspiciously.

"Hi Rhys," she smiled. "We haven't really had a chance to chat, have we?"

His lips quirked as the soldier in him recognized the veiled order, and he followed her to a nearby private room, where she handed him a cup of coffee. He took it with a smile.

"How do you like Terminal City so far, Rhys?" Max asked. "Settling in okay?"

"Yeah." Rhys sat, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his ankles. "Feels good to be back among family."

Max's smile was genuine this time. "Yeah. I kind of miss that, sometimes." She caught the look on Rhys' face and amended her statement hastily. "I'd still like to find the rest of my unit."

Rhys' eyes frosted slightly. "The other escapees."

"Yes." Max took a deep breath, then tried again. "Alec is happy that you're here."

"Alec isn't happy at all, Max." Rhys stopped as Max's face tightened. "Look... let's start again. I'm Rhys, named by nuns. And you're Max, light of Alec's days."

Max laughed. "Well, it took me a while to get his attention."

Rhys snorted. "Johan told me about that. I'm still having trouble believing you put him in a cage and survived."

"It was a close thing." Max tilted her head. "How well did you know Mel?"

The abrupt change of topic left Rhys blinking. "We were unit mates at Manticore, Max. You already know what that means."

"Yeah." Max's face was grave. "I'm worried. This is the third person out of Alec's unit that's disappeared in the past four months. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep everyone in check."

"That's an awfully open thing to say to a stranger." Rhys' eyes were sharp on her face. "Which means you either want to divert me, or else you're looking for me to give you some insights into controlling your boyfriend."

Max blinked. "You're not a comfortable conversationalist, are you?"

"Not about this." Rhys sat forward abruptly. "I'll give you some insights you won't like, Max. First of all, you're worried you're losing control here. You're not worried about keeping everyone in check. You're worried that Alec will turn on you. And you're worried that that might be the right thing to have happen, cause you're not qualified to lead us."

Max's face whitened as he spoke, but she didn't interrupt.

"You're right on the first count. It's only a matter of time." Rhys' voice was brutally matter of fact. "Your policy of non-intervention and 'peaceful co-existance' is bullshit and it's gonna get more of us killed. I'm only here cause he is."

"It's the only way! I..." Max told him hotly. He held up his hand to stop her.

"On the second point, you're dead wrong. There are a few things that Manticore taught us that we all held on to, Max. One of those things is loyalty." He caught her eyes with his, intensity burning from him. "He would never turn on you on his own." Max smiled at him. "I'm not done, Max. _You_ are the threat there.

"Have you never thought that maybe Alec has his own reasons for supporting you as head of this group the way he has? That _his_ agenda makes this a good arrangement? Alec has always shied away from the leadership role, Max. But that does not mean he isn't the most capable leader I know, and in the time I've been here I can tell you that he is singlehandedly responsible for you still being in charge."

"I'm not an idiot, Rhys." Max was getting pissed off. "I know what Alec's support has meant here. And I see how he keeps deferring to me. But I'm also providing necessary direction here; direction that someone who hasn't lived on the outside couldn't provide."

"Hasn't lived on the outside?" Rhys laughed. "Uh, Max. Alec was a solo specialist. You can't really think he wasn't able to operate in the real world. That _any_ of us could? I mean, come on. Our lives didn't end when you guys escaped, you know."

Max gritted her teeth.

"You're the threat, because while he would never try and replace you with himself, if you push him too far, you'll lose his support. And that will have the same effect." Rhys frowned. "Look, anyone could see he loves you, Max, but I'm telling you, as someone who's known Alec his whole life... don't put him in a position where he has to choose between you and his family. Cause it might destroy him, but he'll put them ahead of himself any day. And if that means not supporting you, if he really believed there was no other way, he'd do it in a heartbeat."

The muscles in Max's jaw bunched as she fought back her anger. "I don't need to ask you what you think about the third point, do I?" She stood, stiff with anger, and stalked out of the room. Rhys stared after her.

"You should have." He laughed to himself. "You could be a leader to be proud of, if only you'd stop trying to be so damned 'normal'."

 

* * *

_"Hey Ames. Checking in."_

_"Progress?"_

_"Well...I think you're right about this place being a powder keg. All it needs is the right match. We could likely pick up some impressive intel while we're at it."_

_"You have two only two objectives here. Disrupt operations. And, Get. Me. 452."_

_"That wasn't in the profile, Ames. You never said anything about going after 494's girlfriend. I thought I already demonstrated that I don't have a death wish."_

_"That bitch took my son. I want to... ask her about it."_

_"I hear you, Ames." *pause* "But you have to know you're playing with one very dangerous individual here."_

_"I can handle 452. Just bring her to me."_

_"There was never any doubt in my mind about that. Fenest'ol."_

 

* * *

Alec lounged in front of the TV in his overstuffed armchair, flipping channels and pretending to watch old movies. He heard Max in the hallway and stilled, setting the remote on the arm of the chair and taking a sip of his scotch. Max came in, closed the door, and approached the chair, stroking her hand gently against his hair.

"What are you watching?" She asked softly.

"Dunno." He rose and turned to Max.

Max smiled at him. "You should try watching something from the twenty-first century," she told him.

"Nah." he replied, wrapping her in his arms and burying his nose in her hair as gunfire sounded on the television. They both turned to look as the character on the screen threatened a stoic bad guy with a gun, then, in an extreme of rage, threw the gun away and shouted, "You're not worth it!" The police swarmed the scene and took the bad guy away in cuffs.

"Why is it that in all of these shows, no one seems to care how many flunkies get killed, but when it comes to the Big Baddie, there's always some moral imperative to let him live? I mean, come on. What a crock." Alec blew his breath out in a snort, flipping off the TV and tossing the remote onto the couch.

"Cause there's supposed to be a greater purpose to seeing justice done." Max told him, cuddling closer. Just like that, the mood was broken. He stiffened, and set her away from him.

"What kind of greater purpose, Max? I mean, bad guy - good guy is just a matter of perspective, right?" Alec was angry. "To White, you're the Big Bad. Do you think for one instant that if he had you in his hands, that he would turn away in the name of 'justice'? Or, for that matter, anything else?"

"No." Max's voice raised with her own heat. "But I've still managed to survive every time anyway."

"We need to start fighting back, Max. We are only as good as our threat, and right now we have none."

"Our threat is why the people out there are scared spitless of us, Alec. It's what's causing all of this hostility!"

Alec stared at her. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "No, Max. The people... the ordinaries aren't any concern of mine; they aren't the issue here. It's the Familiars we need to stand and face. And they are sure as shit not afraid of us."

Max's jaw set stubbornly. "It's the normals that we need to have on our side, Alec. We need to cultivate trust with them, because it's their world we have to live in."

"I'm not disagreeing with that!" Alec thrust his hand through his hair. "I'm trying to get you to look at the real danger here! It isn't the ordinaries that are whipping up this fever to hunt us down and kill us one at a time; they're just the tool. We need to make a point to the Familiars. A big, messy fucking point."

"No." Max locked her eyes with his. "We can not afford to make any messes, Alec."

Alec turned away from Max, fists clenched. "We can't afford to go on this way, either, Max," he said to the wall.

She curled her hands around his shoulders. "I know," she told him. "We'll come up with something."

"It better be fast, Max." Alec sounded tired, bone weary. "I think you're running out of time."

* * *

Rhys opened the door to the designated nursery as quietly as possible. His lips curved in a wide grin as he saw the wholly unexpected sight of Alec, leaning back in a chair, an exhausted six month old baby sprawled bonelessly on his chest and snoring softly. Alec's hand rested on the baby's back, and his head was tipped forward so he could smell her hair. He looked up as the door opened, and grinned at Rhys unapologetically as he settled himself even more comfortably. He raised an eyebrow in query.

"We broke the code on the Resurrection files." Rhys informed him softly.

"And it only took you two weeks." Alec whispered back. Rhys rolled his eyes. "What was it about?"

Lise, the person in charge of medical for TC, entered the room from the other side and leaned over the baby, feeling her head. "She's doing better. Good." Lise smiled at them both and moved to a nearby desk, where she began working. Rhys grabbed a chair and sat next to Alec, running a finger along the baby's head.

"Who is this?" He asked Alec with a wicked grin. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"This is Maia." Alec kissed her head tenderly. "She's Gem's daughter."

Rhys gave a delighted smile. "Really? I heard she was born during a hostage taking?"

Alec grinned. "Yeah. That was fun. 'Til White got there, anyway." He shifted in his chair. "And I got shot. I never like that part."

"Who does?" Rhys grimaced. "So... she's doing better? What was wrong?"

"Don't know. Most of the little ones are down with something. Must be going around." Alec shrugged a little, careful not to jostle Maia. "It's not like they provided parenting classes alongside 'Assassination 494'."

Rhys smirked, but Alec forestalled the inevitable smartass comment by shushing him as the baby stirred. Rhys sighed.

"So, what were the files about?" Alec brought them back to the topic at hand.

"They were on the breeding program. A set of compatibility matrices."

Alec frowned. "Really? I suppose that makes a twisted kind of sense; resurrecting the X-series and all. But why would Tinga be in there?"

Rhys shrugged, and Lise spoke up from her desk, where the two men had completely forgotten about her. "Renfro was way into 656. I remember her saying once that she was the only one who'd passed her abilities onto a child."

Alec's eyes narrowed, and Rhys' head snapped around to look at her, gaze piercing. "What did you just say?" Rhys asked intently.

"I said that 656 was the only mother to pass on X characteristics to her child. Little fellow even had a barcode. Drove Renfro nuts that she couldn't figure out why." Lise paused, then went on thoughtfully. "She used to complain that all that her experimentation had produced children that were spectacularly ordinary."

Alec and Rhys looked at each other, both reaching the same conclusion at the same time. Their gazes dropped to Maia's innocently sleeping form, and Rhys leaped to his feet even as Alec gestured at him. "Check the rest!" Alec ordered hoarsely.

Rhys was already moving towards the line of bassinets and cribs. Lise was a step behind, looking confused. "How many of these children were born with a barcode, Lise?" Rhys asked curtly, turning the first infant over gently to peer at the back of his neck.

"Two." Lise pointed to a crib at the end. "Twin boys."

"How many children in Terminal City?"

"Fourteen, including the twins."

Rhys bit his lip and shook his head, looking at Alec, who was now standing, cuddling Maia against his chest and looking pale. Alec nodded, face stricken.

"We're gonna need Logan for this." Alec said.

 

* * *

Max arrived to a scene of controlled chaos. Even as she entered the front doors she heard crying infants and excited chatter. She stopped at the first room to see Gem throwing belongings into a bag in a blur of speed, tears trickling soundlessly down her cheeks. Max stopped in shock. Even in the throws of labour, Gem hadn't cried.

"Gem? What's wrong?" She demanded.

"I don't have time to talk." Gem swiped at her cheeks. "I've gotta go."

"Go _where_?"

"Go _away_!" Gem shouted. "Alec said Maia and I have to leave! I need to pack." She returned to throwing clothes into the duffel.

Max stared at her a moment. "You don't have to leave, Gem. I'll straighten this out."

Gem shook her head and didn't slow her movements. "Alec said we have to go." She repeated stubbornly. Max set her jaw angrily.

"We'll see about that."

 

* * *

Alec saw Max coming as soon as she hit the doorway. She looked furious, and he sighed inwardly, then turned back to the computer screen.

"I don't know if I can get these for you that fast, Alec." Logan scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Thirty six sets of identity papers is a tall order on such short notice." He paused. "And, it's going to be expensive."

Alec's eyes flicked to Max as she climbed the stairs to reach him. "Just make it happen, Logan. Don't fuck around or haggle, either. I need them now."

Logan nodded curtly, and even as Alec flipped off the camera, Max grabbed his arm and swung him around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She hissed at him. "Gem doesn't have to leave Terminal City." She looked around at the people packing hurriedly. "None of you have to leave Terminal City!" She shouted. The din died as the transgenics turned to look.

Alec's lips compressed, and he motioned for them to continue working. He took Max's arm in his hand and dragged her to an empty room, slamming the door behind them. She shook him off and spun to face him. "What the hell?" She raged. "You can't just tell people to get out!"

"Yes, I can. I did. And, if it comes down to it, I will again." Alec's eyes were tired. "There's reasons here, Max. Would you like to hear them?"

"There is no reason good enough!"

Alec's temper rose to meet hers. "The babies are sick, Max!" He shouted. Neither noticed the door sliding slowly back open. "They need to get out of here before they die!"

Max stared at him as if he was out of his mind. "What are you talking about?"

"The babies. Maia. Michael. Hope. Jeffery. All of them. All sick, Max. Did you never wonder why?" Alec's eyes were hot.

"Of course I did." Max responded. "We _all_ did. DO."

"We're living on a fucking toxic spill site! Of _course_ they're sick!" Alec was shouting again, his frustration at himself breaking loose.

"Transgenics aren't affected by the toxins here, Alec." Max shook her head. "You aren't making any sense."

"The babies are _ordinaries_ , Max! They didn't inherit the genes!" Alec fists were clenched. "They're ordinaries," he repeated in a normal tone, regaining control. "We ran the assays as soon as we suspected."

Max's eyes were wide. "They have to leave, Alec. They have to leave _now_."

"Yes," Alec told her curtly. "They do." He turned toward the door and stopped, seeing the entrance to the room filled with faces. Rhys straightened from his position slouching against the doorframe, and lowered his arm from where he had been blocking the others from entering. "Don't you have something to do?" He asked pointedly.

Mole swung his shotgun in one hand. "Yeah. I think we do," he said gravely. He looked around, and only Joshua looked stubborn. The rest looked angry. "I think it's time for a change of leadership around here." The group gave a dark sounding rumble of agreement. Alec turned his back on them and closed his eyes.

"Who do you think should replace me, Mole? You?" Max strode up to the desert fighter and stared him in the eye. "You plan on being the front man for us to the world?"

"No." Mole didn't back down. "But that don't mean I think it should be you, little girl."

Rhys' eyes were on Alec's tight shoulders. "I don't think this is the time for this, Mole." He said slowly. "We've got transportation and identities to arrange for more than thirty people, right now. We'll deal with the question of who's calling what shots another time."

Alec spun on his heel and faced the crowd. "I won't do it, so don't even go there." He told the gathering fiercely, face tight with anger. "We follow Max's lead here. And you heard her. She says we get the babies out now."

"Sure... _now_ she does!" A mocking voice came from the back of the crowd. Whatever retort Alec would have made died on his lips as Johan pushed his way through the crowd, stopping in the doorway. He was panting, eyes wide.

"Alec. Max. You need to come right now." He closed his eyes, horror on his face. "They found Mel. She was dropped off just outside." He backed up at the look on Alec's face. "I think she's a... a message."

 

* * *

_"I've only got a second here, but it's happening, Ames. They're melting down."_

_"Good. I hope my little 'peace offering' speeds the process a little. How long?"_

_"Days, I think." *pause* "452 won't be able to control them much longer."_

_"Perfect. I want that bitch to suffer."_

_"I understand. But Ames... I don't think you want 494 to be in control here either."_

_"I have that covered. Just do your job. Fenest'ol."_

_"Fenest'ol, Ames."_

* * *

It looked as if the entire population of Terminal City was gathered around what they had come to think of as the front gate. They were eerily silent, and Johan pushed his way through the massed bodies impatiently. They gave way, opening a path for the oncoming group. Johan fell to his knees beside the sheet-shrouded huddled form on the ground, reaching out a tentative hand, but not quite touching it. Alec, Max, and Rhys broke through into the space in the centre of the clustered transgenics, and froze. Rhys shot a stunned look at Alec, whose face looked carved of stone as he stepped forward and crouched beside Mel, placing his fingers against her throat. He lowered his head, in despair or relief, Rhys couldn't tell.

Alec heaved a sigh as he felt Mel's pulse under his finger tips. Thready, but there. He brushed her hair away from her face, and lifted the edge of the sheet to look. His stomach clenched, and so did his fists. He lifted his eyes to the crowd, his gaze colliding with Zane's. The other transgenic looked as if he was about to throw up, and Alec frowned. He forced himself to assess Mel's injuries as he listed to Johan.

"Zane, Spot and I were just finishing our sweep through when we saw her here, just like this. We looked under the sheet, and we left Spot here with her and took off for headquarters." Johan's voice shook, and looking at Mel, Alec could understand why.

The female transgenic was naked under the sheet, and there was almost no inch that was not purple with bruises. Her face was unrecognizable, but her barcode had been left untouched, presumably so that they would know for sure who they had. A moment later he was pushed aside as Lise arrived, eyes already bright with tears.

Johan helped place Mel on backboard Lise brought with her, then trotted alongside as the wounded transgenic was hustled into the main building, with Max carrying the end opposite to Lise. Rhys came to stand beside Alec, and Zane moved over to join them.

"Rhys." Alec's voice was hoarse, and he didn't look at either of the other men. "Finish gathering the people who need to leave, and manage the packing. Call Logan in half an hour and tell him we need the documents by midnight." He set his jaw, made an effort to continue. "Zane. We need these people matched and tattood before they leave. You have six hours." He set off purposefully for the main building without waiting for answers. Zane and Rhys stared after him.

"You know, I don't know much about this White character that seems to hate us so much," Zane commented, rubbing behind his ear. "But I have to say, right now, I can't think of anyone I would want less to be."

The crowd of transgenics shuffled, and as they began to disperse a cell phone began to ring. They stopped, and looked around. After a moment, Mole bent over and picked up a dark phone from the pavement, flipping it open and pressing it to his ear.

"Yeah?" He asked gruffly.

"Could I speak with 494, please?" There was no mistaking the oily voice on the other end of the phone. Mole almost bit his cigar in half gritting his teeth.

"No." He said. "He's busy." Rhys and Zane looked at him, moving closer to hear.

"All right." White sounded amused. "I have a proposition for him. For all of you, really."

"I got nothin' I want to hear from you." Mole moved to hang up, but White's next words stopped him.

"I'm ready to deal."

Mole brought the phone back to his ear slowly. "What?"

"All I want is 452. You give me her, and this campaign is all over." White paused, and his voice hardened. "You don't, and I'll make what I did to your little friend look like a swedish massage. I'll call back to make arrangements." He hung up.

Rhys, Zane, and Mole stared at each other. Rhys reached out and gently took the phone from Mole. "I'll tell him," he said softly. "Later."

They split up and headed to take care of their assignments.

 

* * *

It was two hours before Rhys braved the medical rooms. He found Alec and Max sitting at Mel's bed side, facing each other across the transgenic's still body. Their faces were blank, expressionless as they stared at Mel. Rhys felt his heart stop, until he saw the blanket rise with her breathing. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Alec, sighing with relief.

"The parents we were able to match skin tones on are done," he said softly. "The six that don't match any of the mixes we already have are going to be set up in Seattle until we finish. Gia has decided to take the twins and leave too, just in case." Max and Alec nodded, still looking only at Mel. "We've set them up with the latest drug distribution, so they'll be able to evade the thermal sensors, and we're just waiting for Logan to come through with the paperwork. The six that are staying local have left already; we can get them the ident papers later."

"Good." Alec's voice sounded forced, and as Rhys looked a little closer he saw a muscle twitch in Alec's cheek. He recognized the signs. Alec was still violently, coldly angry.

"There's more." Alec turned his head finally, and Rhys wanted to flinch at the ice in his eyes. "We've spoken with the parents, and we think we know the answer. Why the twins inherited the genes, but the others didn't. Why 656... Tinga's son inherited her capabilities." Max and Alec both shifted, attention wholly on him. He leaned forward. "It's heat."

"Heat." Alec sounded confused. "Like hottubs?"

Rhys' lips twitched. "No. Like _heat_. Gia was in heat when the twins were conceived; she had been out in the field long enough that her shot had worn off. She went into heat before she made it back to Manticore." He paused, took a sip of the water bottle he'd brought with him. Max and Alec waited impatiently. "The others were all a product of the Manticore breeding program. They were all achieved in the... er... standard way, but of course none of these were heat related cause everyone's shots were up to date. We think that 656.. er.. Tinga was in heat when she conceived Case."

Max's eyes darkened. "So that bitch Renfro killed my sister trying to find out something that should have been staring her in the face."

"Well.. Manticore knew that heat didn't affect whether or not we were fertile, so it made sense to supress something that makes us so vulnerable." Alec said, eyes distant as he thought. "Is there any indication of whether the males pass on the characteristics the same way?"

Rhys shook his head. "No sample space," he said. "At least, none we know of."

"None you know of." Max repeated darkly. "We'll have to run tests to be sure."

Alec and Rhys exchanged looks. "Yes." Rhys said unhappily. "We'll ask for volunteers. Maybe one of the married couples would be willing to be test subjects and provide us a 'sample'."

Alec blew out his breath. "You'd better go ask," he told Rhys. "Cause I am not going to."

Rhys rose, looking grumpy. "Great. You know, I'm suddenly glad you won't be able to make use of _my_ services for a long while." On his way out the door he paused. "Oh.. Alec? Can I talk to you a sec?"

Alec frowned, but followed him down the hallway into another room. "What?"

Rhys filled him in on the phone call, handing him the cell that White had used to call them.

"No fucking way." Alec's eyes glittered with rage. "We are not handing _anyone_ over to that bastard."

"Of course not." Rhys clapped him on the shoulder. "But you should know, a lot of the crowd overheard. And right now, Max is not in the best odour around here. They might decide to act."

Alec stared at him, face tight, but slowly he nodded. "I hear you." He said. "We'll be careful."

"Good." Rhys rolled his shoulders to eliminate some of the tension and headed for the door. "You know," he threw back over his shoulder. "I'm beginning to wish I'd stayed in Toronto, with the nuns."

 

* * *

_"Hello, Ames"_

_"So... how did my messages go over?"_

_"As expected. I think I'll be able to convince them to take the deal. We'll have to go around 494, though."_

_"Easy enough." *pause* "Make it happen."_

_"Fenest'ol, Ames"_

 

* * *

_[Rhys watched them come, his skin throbbing with the power of his onrushing heat. The six of them were arrayed in a variety of enticing lingerie, and wore almost identical smiles of anticipation. Sister Beth reached him first, and nudged his shoulder, asking him to roll onto his stomach. He did so without demur, pillowing his head on his arms. An instant later the aroma of sandalwood struck his nostrils, and his body tightened in response to the seductive scent. He heard a chime of feminine laughter, then warm, oily hands began caressing his body, massaging the tension out of taut muscles. He closed his eyes._

_The hands ranged across his entire body, coaxing deep groans from his throat as they rubbed against his increasingly sensitive skin. A tongue flicked against his ear and he jumped. Another mouth fastened against his flank, teeth nipping at the flesh there and he gasped. He opened his eyes just as a third set of lips met his in a deep kiss._

_He laughed against Sister Mariana's lips, and rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. Sister Laura and Sister Jay took the opportunity to begin nibbling his chest, and Sister Nicola ran her hand up the inside of his thigh as she bit the skin over his hipbone. Her hand slid to tickle the soft skin at the crease of his leg, then moved on to hotter, more private things._

_He felt a puff of breath against the tip of his hardness, and looked down to see Sister Daniela leaning over him, eyes fastened hotly on his face. She lowered her head, and as her mouth enveloped him....]_

He was awakened by the sound of a door slamming open with what had to be transgenic strength.

Rhys was out of bed and across the room in less than a heartbeat. He found himself on the other side of his door and racing down the hall with only the faintest idea of how he got there, and skidded to a halt outside Max and Alec's apartment, where the door was now hanging forlornly by one hinge. An instant later, Zane and Joshua were at his side. They all stared wide-eyed through the door, where Alec was calmly pulling a turtleneck over his head. He meticulously tucked it in and did up the button on his jeans before looking challengingly at the crowd in his doorway.

"No show here." He said, brushing past them as he headed out.

"Max left." Joshua huffed at him, touching his arm.

Alec patted Joshua's hand. "Yeah. But I know where to find her."

 

* * *

Alec reached the top of the Space Needle and paused before heading out, dreading the continuation of the discussion that had sent Max into flight. He took a deep breath and headed out onto the roof of the observation deck, striding directly to where Max sat curled with her legs against her chest.

"You walked out in the middle of our discussion." He said evenly, breath frosting in the air. A warm thread of anger ran through his voice. Max remained silent. "It's time, Max. We can't let this slide. If you try and sweep this under the rug, the others are going to strike out on their own."

"That would be a mistake." Max told him hotly. "It's only going to take another couple of incidents to have the outside bomb us into smithereens! We can't afford a wholesale slaughter!"

"We're not talking about a slaugher, Max. We're talking about an example."

"A murder, Alec." She clutched her legs tighter. "Well, I won't be a party to murder."

When Alec spoke again, his voice was tight with rage. "You've been trying to run this like we're living in some kind of democracy. This isn't a democracy, it's a war. These people need to know you'll do more than just die for them, Max. They need to know you'll kill for them, too."

"Well, I won't." Max stated flatly.

"Then let me." Alec was almost pleading. "Max, listen to me. You. Can. Not. Let. This. Go." He paused, then continued with iron in his voice. " **I** will not let this go, Max. You try and sweep this away, and you do it without me."

* * *

Dix's fingers slowed on the keys of his keyboard, and he rubbed a hand across his eyes. Zane looked over at him. "You should take a break, Dix." The diminutive transgenic had been going for two days straight, since Mel had turned up so terribly damaged. Max and Alec had returned to Terminal City that night with grim faces, and the division between them was plain to see, although they had made a show of solidarity that night and since.

"No, no. I'm so close to finishing this set of comparisons..."

Rhys and Zane exchanged a look, and together they scootched Dix's chair backwards. "We'll finish." Rhys told him gently. "Go get some sleep."

Dix looked at the other two men and blinked owlishly. "Yeah... all right," he said. "I'll sleep over there." He made his way to a nearby couch and collapsed, asleep almost immediately. Zane shook his head sympathetically and moved into Dix's place in front of the computer.

"How are those codes coming, Rhys?"

"Almost there." Rhys replied, focussing back on his own terminal. "I'll have the Prevention codes soon." He tapped the enter key, then blinked in shock. "Or, now."

Zane laughed, his own screen filling with the results of Dix's analysis.

"Good timing!" He exclaimed. "Let's see what we're got."

Four hours later, they were still absorbed, as Terminal City began to wake around them. "Hey, Zane... do you see this?"

Rhys pointed at a single set of genes on Maia's genetic assay. Zane glanced at it and nodded. "Yeah. So?"

"So.. all of the babies have this. But none of the parents do."

"Really?" Zane frowned, his eyes sharpening. He examined the code sequence again. "I've seen that before." He flipped through the mound of paper that had built itself over the past hours, and finally held up a sheet triumphantly. "Here!" Rhys snatched it out of his hand.

"This is Alec's entry from the Prevention files." he said. "But.. there it is. The same code." Rhys' brows drew together. "This doesn't make any sense."

Zane rose, and began to pace. "Hand me the Prevention files again, ok?"

"Yeah." Rhys handed them over, and Zane scanned them again. He whistled softly, rubbing behind his ear, then looked at Rhys.

"Time to go talk to Alec."

 

* * *

Rhys and Zane found Alec sitting with Mel. In the past two days, he and Max had each spent several hours sitting with her, but she hadn't roused. Rhys caught Alec's eye and gestured for him to join them. Max caught the motion and lifted an eyebrow, and Rhys nodded for her to come too. They gathered together in the hallway, and Rhys flipped a set of papers nervously between his fingers. Zane began to pace, and Max and Alec exchanged a look.

"Okay, guys. What have you got?" Max sounded tired.

"I don't exactly know where to begin." Zane's brows drew together. He looked at Rhys, who shrugged. "I guess... we should start back at Manticore."

Alec leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. "Why do I have the feeling this is going to be a long story?"

Rhys shrugged again. "Good instincts?" He suggested, sliding down the wall to sit comfortably on the floor, arms across his knees. Max shook her head.

"Get on with it, Zane."

"Rhys cracked the Prevention codes, and what we found is a little bizarre." Zane ran a hand through his hair. "Essentially, Manticore experimented on you, Alec, using smallpox. As a result, you had a spontaneous genetic mutation, that has rendered you at least partially immune to smallpox and its derivatives. You've... er.. experienced the benefits of that before."

Alec snorted and straightened. "Benefits! I think that might be an overstatement."

Zane's eyes darkened minutely. "Manticore was able to use you to create vaccines for the other transgenics, and presumably for themselves, against each of the virus exposures that you went through. Smallpox, Orono, and Argent. Rhys had a file too, Argent only. There were two other files on smallpox experiements, subjects deceased."

Alec nodded, and Max frowned as she followed the story. Rhys continued for Zane. "We also found a file on you, Max, that indicates that you were also tested, but had a natural, full genetic immunity. Zane and I think that's why you were unaffected this time."

Alec's eyebrows lifted. "This time?"

Zane licked his lips. "We found an image, of an electron microscope rendering of Argent," he said, and Rhys handed Alec one of the pages he was carrying. Alec found himself looking at a tangle of lines that slowly resolved itself into a recognizable shape. His lips compressed and he passed it to Max, who blinked.

"It's a caduceus." Rhys confirmed, nodding as Alec shook his head in disbelief. "We think Argent is the same as the snake virus."

"So, I'm genetically immune." Max spoke slowly. "And Alec and Rhys were used to make a vaccine for the other transgenics..."

Rhys interrupted, breaking her train of thought. "That's not the part we're here about, Max. We're here about the babies."

"We finished the DNA assays on the infants." Zane said. "And they all... all have the same mutation as you do, Alec."

All four of them wore expressions with varying degrees of puzzlement. "Great... so they'd survive smallpox. What the hell does that _mean_?" Alec heaved a sigh and raked his hands through his hair. "Fuck! Why couldn't Sandeman have just left a goddamned diary? Preferably with a big fucking neon sign saying 'Master Plan Here'."

"I think it means that he built us that way." Rhys spoke up, curling back up to his feet. "I think he made us so that we would have children that would be safe." He paused. "And normal."

Alec's eyes narrowed. "I think that he knew what they were planning." The others could almost see the gears shifting. "And that means they must be planning a biowarfare attack. To eliminate the competition." He nodded again, not noticing the other three pale. "To eliminate the weak. And if Sandeman was designing this to go to work now, then they must be close to putting the plan into action."

"Manticore... Sandeman... made a vaccine for the other transgenics, so they would be safe." Max's voice shook, drawing their attention to her. "But we'd already left then, Zane. That means..."

"It means that I'm not even partially immune, Max. And neither are any of the others."

 

* * *

"I can not believe that you're leaving." Alec's voice was bleak, angry. "That you're running away from this."

"I'm not running away, Alec. I need to warn them." Max rummaged in her backpack. "They need to be told, and brought back here so they can be vaccinated."

"So do an Eyes Only broadcast!" Alec shouted in frustration. "Take out an ad! Don't leave."

"They'll think it's a trick." Max's face set in stubborn lines.

"Then send Zane." Alec closed his eyes. "Max. Do not leave. It's going to undo all the work you've put into this."

Max laughed bitterly. "You mean the work you're willing to throw away yourself? 'You'll do it without me', you said." She flung her hair back over her shoulder. "Zane's needed here for the tattooing, anyway."

Alec gritted his teeth. "I never asked you to leave, Max. I don't _want_ you to leave."

Max slung the bag over the back of her Ninja and turned to face him squarely. "It's my family, Alec. I wish you could understand..."

"I will not understand." Alec's face was hard. "I think they left the 'run away' gene out when they made me, Max. Maybe they just gave you an extra one, instead."

Max flinched, and tears stood out in her eyes. "Goodbye, Alec." She straightened, moved to mount the motorcycle. The next instant she was in Alec's arms, with his mouth slanted across hers almost desperately. He kissed her passionately, wildly, and she responded in kind. He tasted the salt of tears against his lips and pulled his mouth away reluctantly, curling her into his body. She hugged him hard, then tugged herself loose. She pulled her helmet on and a moment later was gone.

Alec turned on his heel and strode towards the main building, body stiff with anger and pain. He hit the door of the central room with both hands, swinging it back on its hinges explosively. The transgenics inside turned to look at him in shock, and Alec stared straight ahead, not looking at any of them.

"Max," he said hoarsely. "Is gone."

 

* * *

Max opened up the throttle on the Ninja, glorying in the speed that thrummed through the bike in response. She hadn't felt this free in ages, and for the first time she felt that maybe not leading Terminal City would be the best thing for her, as well. She felt a flash of pain at the thought of leaving Alec, but supressed it with the anticipation of seeing her family again. Rhys' words about Alec's priorities had stung her, and she had decided to put her own family ahead of herself, too.

She saw a grey van coming up to pass her, and frowned in puzzlement. It was unusual for anyone to be on the streets at this time of night, let alone trying to pass a speeding motorcycle, but she shrugged internally and moved over. The van passed her in a whoosh of noise and air, rocketing ahead. When it got a half block ahead it screeched to a halt, turning to block the roadway. Max gave a blurt of shock. She locked the brakes, all but standing the Ninja on its head, and managed to stop inches away from the side of the van. She ripped the helmet off her head, scanning for others, but no one else materialized. She swung her leg and dismounted the bike, opening her mouth to spill invective at the driver.

Zane came around the nose of the van.

Max blinked in shock. "Zane? What the hell are you trying to do? Get me killed?"

Zane grinned, a quick flash of white teeth in the darkness. "No, Max. Never that."

"Well, you sure gave a good impression of it." Max shook herself a little, trying to dampen down the adrenaline rush. "If you're trying to talk me out of this, Zane, don't."

"I'm not going to try and talk you out of it, Max." Zane half turned away, and when he moved back, he had a Taser in his hands. "I need you right where you are."

Max's eyes widened in shock. "Zane? Wha-..."

He shot her.

Zane looked at Max's shuddering body, and gritted his teeth. He knelt beside her and tenderly picked her up, depositing her in the van. He left the Taser beside the Ninja, climbed into the cab of the van, and headed out.

 

* * *

Johan burst into the Terminal City computer centre at full speed. Alec didn't stir from his position sprawled in an office chair behind Rhys, watching him work on breaking the Separation codes. Joshua sat on the steps near Alec, grieving Max's absense, and Alec's hand rested on Joshua's shoulder. Rhys and Dix turned at Johan's entrance.

"Alec!" Johan was frantic. "We found Max's bike."

Alec rose, turning to face Johan, eyes hard. "And?"

"And she wasn't with it."

Alec came down the steps. "Not with it? Just tell me."

"Max has been taken." Johan gulped for air. "There were skidmarks on the pavement. And this was beside the bike." He handed over the Taser.

Alec took one look and cursed. He spun on his heel and pointed at Rhys. "I need you to find me a frequency."

 

* * *

"It happened, Ames. They took her." Zane drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair, distaste on his face.

"Good. Good." White was practically purring with satisfaction. "Who turned?"

"I'm not sure. It could have been almost anyone." Zane paused meaningfully. "I'm sure that when you set up the meet, you'll find out exactly who turned traitor."

White laughed. "As long as I have that little bitch in my hands, I don't really care. It's time for you to come in, Andrei."

Zane nodded against the cell phone. "Yeah. I'd like to know more of what you're hoping to achieve with 452, other than beating the location of your son out of her."

"Oh, 452 is going to be very useful. Come on in, and I'll fill you in. Fenest'ol."

"Fenest'ol, Ames." Zane flipped his cell phone shut, staring at Max's unconscious form huddled in the corner of his van. "C'mon, Alec. Figure it out." He paused and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. "And don't take too long."

* * *

Rhys' hands danced across the dials and buttons of his radio transceiver with the ease of long practice. Earphones were clamped tightly over his ears, and his brow was furrowed with concentration. His eyes were closed. Suddenly he stiffened, flinging out one hand and snapping his fingers wildly. "Alec! I've got it."

Alec was at his side in an instant, Joshua a footstep behind. "Put it on speaker," he ordered curtly. Rhys flipped the headset off and flicked the switch to the speaker.

 _[... you know what you're doing, Ames.]_ Zane's voice came through with the faintly muffled tone that signified a subcutaneous transmitter. _[I think you may be underestimating 494.]_

White's snort came through clearly. _[I've dealt with 494 before.]_ He said dismissively. _[I captured him shortly after the whole Manticore burning fiasco.]_

 _[Really?]_ Zane sounded amused. _[What happened?]_

 _[We tasered him, then offered to let him go if he brought us three other barcodes.]_ White laughed. _[He actually tried to double cross me! But we put a microexplosive in his head for ... motivational purposes.]_

Zane's voice was bored. _[I'm surprised you could handle him when he woke up. You must have been impressively armed.]_

 _[We had a cage ready.]_ White laughed again. _[All in all, 494 was not particularly impressive, Andrei.]_

Rhys risked a look at Alec, whose face was tight and still. Alec shifted to look back at him, and Rhys flinched from the icy rage in his eyes.

Zane's voice rolled with amusement. _[I am surprised that you're still alive, Ames. The last person who put 494 in a cage met a somewhat premature... and messy... end.]_

 _[Ashkovich was a fool.]_ White told Zane pointedly. _[He should have shot 494 on sight.]_

_[Ashkovich needed him, Ames. For the virus testing.] *pause* [You didn't know about that? I thought the Conclave told you everything.]_

_[Apparently not.]_ White's voice got louder and more menacing as he got closer to Zane. _[I think you should fill me in.]_ Rhys snuck another look at Alec, puzzlement in his face.

Zane's smile was clear in his voice. _[494 survived Orono, Ames. It's why he was sent to Ashkovich in the first place. We needed to know if his immunity would cover our latest version as well.]_

 _[And he survived again.]_ White's voice was flat with rage.

 _[It's how Manticore got the vaccine, Ames. 494 brought Ashkovich's compound down on our heads and took the cure home with him.]_ Zane laughed out loud. _[The look on your face! Don't tell me that you had the answer... the real answer... to our questions about the trangenics' resistance to the virus in your hands and **let him go**?]_

There was a choked sound, and White's voice came through very clearly. He had to be speaking right against Zane's ear. _[452 will give me all the answers I need, Andrei.]_ The choking noise stopped, and the listening transgenics heard a rustle.

 _[I hope so, Ames.]_ Zane was still amused. _[Cause I think that when 494 finds out that you have his girlfriend, the rest of us will just be trying not to get too much blood on our shoes.]_

White snorted. _[The transgenics are all dead. They just haven't had the sense to lie down yet.]_

Alec drew his hand across his throat, and Rhys immediately cut the speaker, double checking that the equipment was recording. He nodded at Alec, who rose and began to pace.

"It's time, Alec. You can't put this off any longer." Mole spoke up from where he had approached unnoticed, Dix at his side. Other transgenics began filing in from the various entrances to the room, drawn by some instinctive knowledge.

"We need a leader, Alec. You." Joshua told him softly.

Alec snorted. "Please, enough sunshine already. You are all more than capable of leading yourselves. Christ... the X-series was built for charisma and leadership skills, and the rest of you have demonstrated more than your share of those things yourself. You don't need a leader at all. You just want someone to agree with you." The last came out bitterly.

Dix spoke, as grave as Alec had ever seen him. "We have those qualities, yes. But Alec, we also have one other one, one that was built right into our genes." He paused, then pushed on determinedly. "We know how to give orders, Alec. But we know... we need to take orders, too. And that is a vulnerability that you overcame long ago." His eyes flicked to Rhys, who looked away. "We need a leader to keep us going in the same direction. One who won't give in to the need to have a higher authority."

Alec stared at him blankly, then moved his gaze to Mole, who shifted under his scrutiny. He moved on to Dix, then spun to look at Rhys, and Joshua, and Johan, who had joined them. Slowly he swept the room, meeting the eyes of each transgenic in turn. They all returned his gaze steadily, if not comfortably. "You all feel this way?" He spoke to Joshua, who nodded sombrely. "Damn." Alec closed his eyes. "Look, guys, I'm flattered." He stopped, looked at the hopeful faces around him. "I'll think about it, ok?" Joshua nodded unhappily. "For now, let's just concentrate on finding Max. Rhys, Dix... find me surveillance video of the intersection where we found Max's bike. Mole, I want you and Joshua to get ready to head out. We may need to track her. The rest of you, business as usual." He sat down beside Rhys and leaned back, the very picture of nonchalance. Only the tightness around his eyes betrayed his disquiet. When no one moved, he looked around casually. "I don't recall that being a request," he said gently, and everyone leaped into action. When he turned back to the computer screens, Rhys was watching him with still eyes.

"You're the right one for the job." Rhys told him softly. "You've been filling the role all along, anyway."

"Shut up, Rhys." Alec sounded tired. "Get to work."

 

* * *

Four hours later, both Rhys and Dix were sweating under Alec's increasingly cold stare. Finally, Dix leaned back and grinned. "I've got it!" He announced proudly. "I found a camera with an angle on the intersection. Zane picked his spot pretty carefully. Just not carefully enough!" Alec grunted, but leaned forward to look.

Rhys blew out his breath thankfully. "Let's look," he said, bringing up the video feed on his own screen. They watched the van screetch to a halt, and collectively held their breath as Max stood the Ninja on its nose to avoid hitting it. They watched Zane come appear beside Max, and fire the taser. Zane dropped it beside the bike, then gave a long stare directly at the camera before gently placing Max in the van.

"Well, fuck me," Rhys breathed. "He knew it was there."

Alec nodded, squinting at the screen even more closely. "He wants us to see something."

Dix tapped the glass, drawing their attention to the back of the van. "The license plate," he said softly. "He stopped so we could see it."

Alec ran his hands through his hair, then stood abruptly and began to pace again. "Goddamnit. I hate this spook shit." He stopped and closed his eyes. "OK. Rhys, capture the info and _find me that van_. Dix, wipe all record of this from where you got it. I'm sure White's got people looking to see who his new pet traitor is." He shook himself, started away from them. "I need a coffee."

Rhys and Dix exhanged a look. "Hey.. do you think he'll agree to lead us?" Dix asked in a stage whisper.

Rhys' lips quirked. "I think he already is."

 

* * *

Forty minutes later, they found the van, near the edge of sector five. They studied the video of the area carefully, but saw no sign of Zane after he left it there the first time. Once again he had parked so that the license plate was clearly visible to the only camera in the vicinity, a bank's external video feed. Alec narrowed his eyes at the screen.

"Zane is playing a very dangerous game." Rhys commented to himself. "If White finds out that Zane was the one that took Max, or that we have Max back, Zane is dead."

"If I get my hands on him, he might end up dead anyway." Alec growled, but his brow was furrowed in thought. "Mole, Joshua, let's go get her. Rhys, monitor us from here. If it's a trick, you'll need to call out the troops."

They arrived at the van in record time, and Alec made short work of the lock on the sliding door. He checked the van over in microscopic detail before waving Mole forward to open the door.

Max was huddled in the back of the van, sleeping peacefully under a warm blanket. Alec leaped in and checked her pulse. It beat strong and regularly against his fingertips and he closed his eyes in relief. He gathered her into his arms and eased backwards out of the van. Joshua turned at gave the bank camera a thumbs up, then tenderly took Max from Alec to cradle her against his massive chest. Alec heaved a breath, then flipped open his cell.

_[Rhys here.]_

"Alec."

_[Yeah. Glad she's okay. I'll put Lise on standby.]_

"No." Alec paused, shaking his head at himself. "No... we can't risk anyone seeing Max and it getting back to White. Not yet."

 _[Okay.]_ Rhys was dubious. _[So, what's the plan?]_

"I'm not sure yet. I'm going to send Max with Joshua and Mole. Lise can meet them there. Mole will call with the location when they get there. I'm coming back in."

_[Consider it taken care of.]_

Alec flipped shut his phone, still staring at Max. "Shit." He muttered. "Shit."

 

* * *

Logan's earnest face peered at Alec from the computer screen. "Lise says the er..package.. is fine, Alec. No damage."

"Good. Any signs of activity?"

"Not yet. Lise says it'll be another 8 hours or so before the batteries recharge." Logan smirked.

Alec grinned despite himself. "It's probably the longest that package has been inactive, ever."

"Yeah." Logan sighed. "Look, Alec, I know it wasn't easy for you to come to me on this..." The cellphone in Alec's pocket rang, and he brought it out and stared at it for a long moment, before killing the connection to Logan mid-word.

"Rhys!" He shouted. "Showtime!"

Rhys vaulted the steps and landed beside Alec, taking a deep breath before flipping open the phone. He held it so that Alec could hear. "Yes?"

"I understand you're ready to deal." White's oily voice came through clearly.

"I have what you want." Rhys replied defiantly. "You're gonna give us what we want."

"Sounds fair." White paused. "I want 452 alive, delivered to me, at Main and Peliza, in four hours. Oh, one more thing." his voice turned threatening. "I want 494, too. If he isn't delivered, the deal is off." The phone clicked dead.

Rhys shut the phone slowly, face dark. Mole strode up the steps, cigar clenched between his teeth, and Alec turned away to lean against the table, head bowed, chewing his thumb. Finally he stood, and turned to face the room.

"All right." He announced loudly, gaining the attention of everyone around. "All right. You win. You want me, you've got me." He help up a hand to forestall the cheer. "But this is going to be done _my_ way." There were nods all around, and then the room exploded into cheering and backslapping. Alec shook his head.

"You're gonna call it off, right, Alec?" Dix asked anxiously. "You can't turn yourself over to White. You can't turn Max over to White, either."

"No." Alec's eyes were bleak. "We're going ahead with the exchange."

* * *

The hour of the exchange arrived with little fanfare. White waited at the corner of Main and Peliza, almost jittery with anticipation. Finally, he would have 452 in his hands, and have the uninterrupted opportunity to beat the location of his son, or of his son's body, out of her protesting body. The addition of 494 to the mix had been a stroke of genius. Now that he knew that the immunity to their virus was vaccine based, he could go as far as he wished with 452, and not jeapardize their plan. Having 494 in his grasp would allow them to bypass the transgenic immunity, and at the same time eliminate the only... non-person... likely to stage a rescue attempt. He laughed to himself. If the trangenics were willing to turn on each other so readily, his job would be considered well done. He grinned widely, and Andrei and Otto smiled with him.

Of course, those two were not his only assets on the street. He was taking no chances; his Familiars were stuffed into practically every nook and cranny, and they were impressively armed. He had snipers on several rooftops as well. This exchange was going to happen, no matter what. His eyes sharpened as he saw movement, someone turning onto Peliza on foot, about two hundred metres away. _Two_ someones, he corrected himself.

The one in front was hooded, dressed in tan cargos, a white tshirt, and a grey leather jacket. His arms were bound behind his back. His ankles were tied together by a short length of rope, preventing him from taking large steps and making him stagger frequently. White's lips curled in a smile. 494. A burlap hood was draped over his head, and he was being pushed roughly by a second man.

The second man looked as though he hadn't washed in days. His black hair was short but greasy, and the dark skin of his face was dirty with sweat and a day or so without shaving. White could tell he normally wore a goatee, but it was almost obscured by the new growth. The expression on his face was one of arrogance and disdain, and he carried a woman slung across one shoulder. He turned to the side briefly as he neared the intersection, and White could see the woman's long dark hair and olive skin clearly. He chuckled. 452. He keyed his mic.

"All teams. Any sign of trangenic movement?" One by one, his teams checked in with the all clear. Reassured, White returned his radio to his pocket.

White assessed the scruffy transgenic as he approached, pushing the struggling 494 forward and carrying a limp 452. "Stop there," he ordered, and the other man paused. 494 took one more staggering step and halted too, head coming up under the hood as White's voice registered. "Put 452 down where I can see her." Otto shifted uneasily beside him, but Andrei was still as stone at his left shoulder. The transgenic dropped his burden unceremoniously on the ground, and 452 spilled bonelessly onto her back.

White gestured the traitor back, then approached 452 and knelt on one knee beside her, checking her pulse. It beat strongly under his fingertips, and he rolled her roughly onto her stomch to check her barcode. The transgenic tensed, but White ignored him, safe in the knowledge of the weapons at his back. "It's her," he announced, pushing her once more onto her back. He rose, and approached 494. Zane and Otto exchanged a look and drew their pistols in unison, training them on the handcuffed man.

White circled 494, a smile breaking out on his face. "I'm so glad to see you again," he said. "I have all new plans for you." He reached forward and pulled the hood roughly off of 494's head. He had a glimpse of a bare, unmarked neck before the man turned his head.

The transgenic in front of him was the same height and weight as 494, but it was definitely not him. He heard Otto gasp behind him. White gave an inarticulate growl, then grabbed the blond man in front of him and shouted his fury into his face.

"Where the fuck is 494?"

A sudden flare of light made White squint his eyes and look up.

 

* * *

Alec surveyed the scene through the scope of his silenced Nighthawk 2204 rifle. He counted four snipers on nearby rooftops, plus an additional thirty or so Familiars hidden around the area. He shifted slightly, his foot brushing against the now dead Familiar who had had the good taste, and bad luck, to choose this vantage point for his own position to cover the exchange. Alec had dispatched him with ruthless efficiency. He had examined the MP-8876 rifle the Familiar had brought, but discarded it in favour of keeping his own.

"Go," He said softly into his throat mic. Below, he saw Rhys shove Johan roughly into the street, and step out after him carrying Max. He spun the scope back to view White, and saw the man practically dancing with excitement. White lifted his radio, and Alec lifted the Familiar's earpiece to his own ear.

_[..teams. Any sign of transgenic movement?]_

Alec quickly stripped the Familiar of his throat mic, and held it against his own neck. He waited a moment as other voices came over the line, then grunted his own "Clear". Apparently satisfied, White returned the radio to his pocket, watching Rhys approach with avid eyes. Alec had bet heavily on White's rage and desire to get his hands on Max clouding his judgement. He dropped the Familiar's mic and returned to his rifle.

He scanned the nearby rooftops again. No new assets. Satisfied, he pumped the bolt on the rifle and systematically dropped each of the rival snipers with swift single shots. By the fourth shot, he could clearly hear the muffled pffft of the bullet leaving the barrel, and rapidly he replaced the silencer with a new one. He rescanned the roofs, but his targets remained down and still. Alec smirked with satisfaction and returned his view to White. "Top deck clear." he muttered.

 _[Copy that.]_ Mole's growl sounded in his ear. Alec could just make out his silhouette inside a window on the top floor of the building directly opposite him. _[Upper deck clear.]_

Below him, White rose from Max's side and approached Johan. "Get ready." White ripped the hood from Johan's head, and froze as Johan turned. White flushed bright red with fury, the veins popping out in stark relief on his face. He grabbed Johan and shook him, not noticing that Johan's hands came loose immediately. Alec focussed tightly on White's face and saw his lips form the words, even as the enraged shout dimly reached his ears. _"Where the fuck is 494?"_

Alec grinned and deliberately shifted ever so slightly, letting the sun hit the glass of his scope and flash briefly across White's eyes. White squinted and looked up, right at Alec's position. His eyes widened, and Alec saw the pupils dilate with shock even as his finger caressed the trigger. "Night night, Ames." He squeezed, and watched White's head disappear in a puff of blood and bone.

 

* * *

Zane watched as White's head exploded. He saw Rhys draw a knife seemingly out of thin air. He dropped to a crouch to slash Johan's ankle bindings in a motion so fast it looked like stop action, freeing the other man as Familiars poured from everywhere in reaction. Otto gave a blurt of shock, and Zane spun and pistol-whipped him across the face, knocking him out cold. A Familiar tackled Johan, bowling him over, and Zane moved even as Rhys scooped up Max and headed for the safety of a nearby building. He heard the faint whine of a passing bullet, and turned his head in time to hear the pfffft of the slug entering flesh. A Familiar fell behind him, outstretched hand still clenching a pistol, aimed at Rhys. Zane stepped on the man's wrist, crouched, and pried the gun loose. He knelt on one knee and coolly shot the Familiar straddling Johan in the back of the head. An instant later, the trangenics arrived in force and the world dissolved into chaos.

 

* * *

Alec watched the scene develop. He had to forcibly restrain the desire to jump to his feet, laughing and pointing as White's body collapsed into a heap. He covered Rhys' extraction of Max from the fray instead, shooting one Familiar who had Rhys trained in his sights. Alec saw Zane pick up the gun and shoot Johan's attacker. He smiled, and moved on to his next target, dropping three more of the onrushing Familiars with easy shots. As he pumped the bolt, the rifle breech clicked empty. An instant later, the backup arrived and Alec dropped the rifle and raced for the stairs. It was time to join the fight in person.

 

* * *

Rhys had his hands full.

He had dumped Max in a defensible alcove and had taken his position in front of it. He'd been hard pressed in the first couple of minutes, pushing back onrushing Familiars, using up his ammunition at a rate he hadn't projected. His Viking's slide clicked empty, and he locked in his last clip, cursing. Alec's words of warning were still ringing in his ears.

 

"For this to work, I need to send the real deal." Alec's eyes were hard, but Rhys could see the conflict underneath. "Which means that Max will be at the exchange. If she gets hurt..." Alec stared at Rhys and Johan fiercely. "Do I really need to finish that sentence?"

"No." Rhys had replied, full of resolve. "Max isn't gonna have so much as a hair out of place, Alec. I swear."

Now he was regretting that promise, as it seemed that every Familiar in White's annoying little coven had a bead on him. He ducked back into the grotto as bullets stitched the wall beside him, and saw Johan across the street, huddled in a doorway. Johan moved as if to leave the safety of his location to join Rhys, and a bullet pinged off the brick beside his head. He ducked back. A knot of struggling bodies crashed into his position, and Johan disappeared under them. Rhys tucked Max into a smaller ball behind him and tried to think large thoughts. A blurring figure resolved itself into Zane, who joined Rhys in the small area. He wedged himself in beside Rhys, shielding Max's other side.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rhys growled. Zane handed him a second gun.

"Max is my sister, man. I couldn't leave her with just you for protection." Zane looked down, noticing with disgust a bloody chunk of flesh on his white sneaker, leaving a bright red stain. He shook it off violently. "Man, I _knew_ that was going to happen." He stuck his head out long enough to shoot an attacker. Another four rushed their position, and Rhys and Zane returned fire as one.

In the street, the shooting was dying down as both sides spent their ammunition. Dozens of bodies littered the ground, and still there were dozens more fighting, hand to hand now. The Familiars had the advantage of numbers, and were gaining the upper hand. It was into this melee that Alec burst, and Rhys grinned.

 

* * *

Alec hit the first group of struggling figures at top speed, gliding into their centre like fire made flesh. He barely took the time to count them [four] before he struck, punching the nearest with all the power of his speed and anger. The Familiar dropped like a sack of potatos, and Alec whirled into a kick even as the second grabbed at him. The transgenic they had been fighting, [Gem] he noted distantly, clutched at the grasping arm and pulled that Familiar down, kneeing him in the face. Alec's kick connected with the stomach of the third Familiar, a woman, and Alec wrapped an arm around her throat as she bent over in reaction. He twisted, and she dropped, her neck at an impossible angle. A knife flashed in Gem's hand as she gutted the last Familiar. A second swipe across his throat, and it was time to move on.

They moved across the street as if they had been working together for years, heading for their last sight of Johan. They found him immediately, one Familiar holding him while a second kicked him repeatedly in the ribs. Alec stopped the kicker by the expedient method of breaking his neck with a precisely placed kick to the base of the skull, and Gem tackled the other at a run, driving them both backwards into the brick wall behind them. Johan flipped over from where he fell when the Familiar dropped him, and pulled a knife out of an ankle sheath. He stabbed it through his attacker's eye, pinning the now dead man to the ground.

Alec looked around, and caught sight of Rhys and Zane huddled in an alcove across the street. He could just barely make out a spill of dark hair behind Rhys' bulk, and nodded with approval. His eyes scanned the tiring fighters, and he grinned as he heard the bellow of Mole's shotgun. A quick movement caught his eye, and his lashes narrowed as he saw a small group of six Familiars prepare to rush Rhys' position. Rhys saw them too, and across the street his gaze met Alec's, face grim. Rhys spoke rapidly with his hands. Four bullets. Not enough to defend them. Zane caught the exchange and his face tightened. Rhys tapped him on the leg, and said something. Zane nodded with a curt movement.

The Familiars tensed, and Alec and Rhys moved at the same time, hurtling into the group from opposite directions. Rhys fired once, taking the leader of the little band in the centre of the forehead. An instant later, Alec had a second's head in his hands and twisted savagely. He let the man drop without slowing, plowing into the third Familiar as Rhys engaged a fourth. This one wasn't taken by surprise, and blocked Alec's punch easily, replying with a backhand fist that rocked Alec on his heels. Rhys' pistol spat again, and suddenly Familiar number four was missing his heart. The fifth Familiar kicked the gun out of Rhys' hand, and Rhys grabbed her ankle with his left, wrenching her leg upward and taking her off her feet. She landed on her back and Rhys was beside her in a blur of movement, the blade of his hand striking her throat like a sledgehammer. She gurgled through her crushed windpipe.

Alec blocked a kick from his opponent, gliding backwards. When the next kick came, Alec dropped to one knee under it, planting a vicious uppercut into the other man's groin. The Familiar toppled over backwards, landing beside the kneeling Rhys, who punched his knife through the man's throat. Alec rose, turning, and heard a click. He froze.

The last Familiar had picked up Rhys' pistol, and was aiming it unerringly at the center of Alec's chest. Alec's eyes met Rhys', and the stunned fury in his friend's dark gaze told him what he needed to know. The gun was still loaded.

_{Well, shit.}_

Rhys exploded up from the ground as the gun spat fire, too late. Alec saw the flash, and everything slowed. A millisecond later, he felt like he'd been struck by a freight train as something crashed into him from the side, sending him sprawling. He grunted, curling into a roll and back to his feet even as he struck the pavement. He heard a second shot.

The Familiar was dead, missing the top of his head, an angry Rhys standing over him with the smoking pistol in his fist. Slowly, Alec looked down.

Mole sprawled at his feet, a tidy bullet hole in his temple.

 

* * *

Mole's death seemed to signal the end of the fighting. The few remaining Familiars withdrew, and the transgenics began the process of cataloguing the dead and helping the wounded. Alec hated this part. It was why he loathed being in charge. The deaths were painful enough without adding the responsibility for them to the mix, and Alec pushed all the guilt and rage deep down inside, until he had time to deal with it. He smiled faintly. _Later_.

Max approached, Zane at her back. She looked disheveled and angry, but otherwise undamaged. Her eyes were tired and haunted. "I see you made your point, Alec." She said.

Alec looked around at the bodies still littering the ground. A surge of annoyance made his voice bitter as he replied. "Yes. I think I did. And a nice, big, messy fucking point it was."

"They'll never stand for this, Alec." Max's eyes were bright with tears. "They'll never leave us alone now." Alec sighed, his anger forgotten.

Zane and Rhys exchanged a look and withdrew to a safer distance, giving them some privacy.

Alec cupped Max's face in his hands. "No ordinaries were even hurt here today, Max. We've shown Otto the caduceus marks on the Familiars, and we gave him a copy of all the virus files to take back with him. We also have it all on video, and Sketchy is doing an article on the breeding cult. It's not perfect, but it's a start. And it won't be long before they won't be able to tell us apart anymore, anyway."

Max stared up into his intent gaze. "I want you to be right." She told him simply. She pulled away to sweep her eyes over the dead. "But the _price_ , Alec...."

"Grief comes later, Max. Right now, there's the problem we have with every kind of mess; a lot of cleaning up to do." Alec looked over her head at Rhys, and gave a curt nod. Rhys turned to Zane.

"There's someone who wants to talk to you, Zane," he said, and decked the other man with all his strength. Zane was out before he hit the ground. Max watched with shock, but did not make a move to interfere.

"We need to know what he knows, Max." Alec began to explain, but she placed her fingers against his mouth to stop him.

"I remember what Zane did, Alec. And you're right." Her eyes filled with tears. "I wish you weren't." Alec pulled her into the circle of his arms.

"You're still leaving, aren't you?" He whispered against her hair. She nodded into his chest. Reluctantly he pulled away, looking around at the growing group of survivors gathering nearby.

"Have.. have you seen Joshua?" Max's eyes were fearful.

Alec smiled reassuringly. "Yes." The smile fled. "He's with Mole."

Max nodded, her face full of compassion. Rhys nudged Zane with his toe, then broke in to the conversation in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Alec. You don't have so much as a speck of dirt on you. How the hell did you manage that?" Rhys asked loudly, gesturing to his own disheveled state. Max edged away, heading for Joshua, and the small crowd laughed. Alec looked down. His jeans and shirt were still immaculately clean, despite the battle. His lips quirked in a grin.

"Well, Rhys, you see, it's a matter of skill and training. You'll catch up to me some day." Another ripple of laughter ran through the crowd, and Alec sobered. He looked at them each in turn, searchingly. When he spoke again, it was with a quiet intensity that caught the attention of all, instantly. "I have never been so proud to be who I am, one of you." He said. "And I have never been more proud of each and every one of you. Thank you." Several of the listening transgenics blinked hard.

Joshua made his way through the crowd, Max at his side. His face was marked by his grief, but he threw an arm around Alec and hugged him close. His eyes were grave. "No," he said. "Thank _you_."

The watching group broke into a raucous round of cheers and whistles. Alec grinned, then his eyes returned to Zane's unconscious form. His face hardened. "All right." A menacing pleasure flavoured his voice. "We've got work to do. Let's get to it."

* * *

Zane awoke in a cage.

He was on his feet in an instant, scanning the room, eyes wide. He had to keep his head bent ever so slightly, as the two by two inch mesh bit into his hair. At the same time, he realized his wrists were locked together by a length of strong, flexible plastic. His gaze met that of Alec, who was seated in a comfortable looking leather chair, watching him coolly. Zane relaxed marginally, and Alec rose to his feet, stalking around the cage. Alec trailed a finger along the metal wire.

"Costeel 494," he said conversationally. "An old friend of ours, isn't he?"

"Hmmmm." Alec smiled inwardly as Zane tried to assess his mood. "Though the restraints aren't precisely 'friendly', Alec."

Alec nodded, looking away, his mouth twisting as he agreed. "Yeah, I suppose. Then again, maybe you should just be happy you're clothed." His eyes swung back to meet Zane's, and the ice in them had Zane taking a hasty step backwards. "And that I didn't have time to run any electricity in here."

"Hey... I never zapped you."

"This is true." Alec returned to pacing the length of the cage, staring at Zane. Zane lifted his eyebrow defiantly, then leaned back against the wall of the cage, crossing his ankles and settling his arms more comfortably. He was the very picture of relaxation, and Alec laughed. Zane jumped, belying his pose, and Alec shook his head, grinning. "You are good, I'll give you that." He returned to his seat and leaned back against the leather, propping his feet against the cage. He popped the lid of a Coke, studying Zane with unnerving glee.

"So... who are you working for, anyway?" He asked suddenly.

"I don't know what you mean." Zane responded smoothly. "I pulled one over on White, sure, but...." He broke off as Alec held up a tiny piece of metal the size and shape of a grain of rice. Zane's face smoothed into expressionlessness. "How did you know?" He asked evenly.

Alec rubbed behind his ear thoughtfully with his free hand, then made a 'ta-da' gesture. "After about a day our bodies start to reject them. It makes us itch." he told Zane. "I've spent almost my entire life resisting the need to scratch. Did you really think I wouldn't recognize someone else giving in to it?"

Zane sighed, and felt a warm trickle down his neck. He reached behind his ear, his hand coming away wet with blood. "What the hell did you use, a chainsaw?"

Alec pursed his lips. "Nah," he said. "I made Johan put that away." He tilted his head. "So... who are you working for?"

Zane didn't answer, and Alec waved his hand. "Oh, I considered that it might have been part of the whole White informant thing, which we have tapes of by the way. But you know, for all White's cunning and underhandedness, he really had no interest in being... _subtle_. And this is very, _very_ subtle. Which points to another player." Alec's eyes narrowed, and all the amusement left his voice. "Who are you really working for here, Zane?"

Zane heaved a sigh. "Would you believe the British SAS?"

"No."

"MI-6?"

"No."

"Spetznaz?"

At that one, Alec laughed out loud. "No."

"CSIS?"

Alec's eyes sharpened, and he brought the chair upright with a bang. "Now, that one, I'd believe."

Zane blinked. "Really?"

"Good effort, Zane." Alec looked at the transmitter he'd been rolling absently between his fingers and thought a moment, then flicked it out of the room. Zane watched it go and relaxed further. When he spoke again, it was softly.

"CSIS, Alec."

"Spill."

"When I left Manticore, I ran for weeks. Months, it felt like. I ended up in Calgary." Zane slid down the wall of the cage until he was sitting. "I ended up in a youth home for a few years. Nice place, actually, but no structure, you know? When I was about sixteen I decided to join the Armed Forces." He licked his lips. "I lied about my age, of course. It was like coming home. Well... like coming home to a hell of a lot nicer home than I'd ever known before. Then, after about a year in the infantry, one night, they came and got me."

Alec's face hardened. "They hurt you." His voice was flat.

"What? No." Zane shook his head. He took a deep breath, lowered his voice further. "When Sandeman ran from Manticore, where do you think he went, Alec? Canada. He spilled the plan, all of it, and offered the Canadians a choice; they could take action or he could go public. Sandeman knew about the escape of course, and he gave them our great weakness.. the barcode. They checked their records, and out popped... me. No, they didn't hurt me, Alec. They offered me a mission."

Alec's eyes narrowed as more pieces clicked into place. "They sent you undercover," he said slowly. "They sent you in as a Familiar." Zane nodded. "Uzbekistan... that was a Familiar compound. And when you ran into Rhys, in Toronto. You weren't rounded up with the transgenics. You were with the Familiars!"

Zane's smile was dark. "Yep. It was a Gods-given opportunity to get out here. I'd been tasked with getting close to White; he'd been identified as a primary threat early. I told the Conclave that I'd met Rhys in Uzbekistan, and they gave me a mission, too. Go undercover... as a transgenic. Report to White, cause dissent in TC." Zane laughed bitterly. "Christ, what a cosmic joke!"

Alec snorted. "Un-fucking-believable."

"And then I got here. No problem getting in, of course. And I expected you to be here, cause Rhys had talked to his CO and knew you were here. But Max...." Zane closed his eyes. "Max was a surprise. And White's primary objective."

Alec tilted his head. "You gave us the tattoo technology without White knowing about it."

"Yeah." Zane ran his bound hands through his hair. "When I saw Max, I knew I had to change the plan. White was so irrational about her... I knew he had to be taken out of the picture. And I knew Max wasn't the person to do it." He heaved a sigh. "But I knew you could. And would. So I pushed White's buttons. I kept telling him what a mistake it would be to drag you into it. Arrogant bastard couldn't let that slide." Zane's eyes met Alec's with an uncharacteristic honesty. "The only problem was getting _you_ to engage. Max was the barrier, and the answer, there."

Alec rubbed his nose, eyes hard. "If I felt White could get to Max, I'd act." He growled low in his throat. "When Max decided to leave, you must have had a fit."

"Christ! You have no idea." Zane shook his head ruefully. "I knew it had to be now, and I could never actually turn her over to him. So, I made it look like TC had turned, left her for you to find, and hoped you'd figure it out. I staked everything on you."

"Huh." Alec ignored the blatant attempt at flattery. "Ok." He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees and clasping his hands together loosely. "Say I believe you. What does Canada get out of all of this? And why don't you want them to hear this conversation? This is all stuff they already know."

Zane heaved a breath. "We're transgenics, Alec. A very, very small percentage of the population, and you're almost universally immune to a disease that is about to be unleashed on a population of billions worldwide. We can be useful in many ways, but the biggest one should be staring you in the face already."

"Vaccination," Alec breathed.

"Yes." Zane stared at him intently. "But there's only a few of us. Max's genome could be used for genetic therapies and intervention before birth, so future generations are safe, but what about the nine billion people who are on the planet already? How much blood do you have, Alec?"

Alec paled. "They want to use us in labs, experiment on us."

Zane shook his head. "No. That's not these people's style. They do ask for frequent donations, but it's voluntary. They've offered full asylum to any transgenic who wishes to cross the border. Full citizenship, no strings. And they've already begun the vaccination process, very quietly, with the transgenics who have already taken residence there."

"Then _what_? What the hell are you afraid of?" Alec growled in frustration. He rubbed his temple.

Zane leaned forward. "It's the babies, Alec!" he hissed. "A _renewable resource_ , useful right from birth. And nine billion people waiting for a vaccine no one has enough time or resources or BLOOD to make. You do the fucking math!"

"You think they'd take the kids?" Alec stared at him, stunned.

"No. Not them. But what if someone talked? What if word got out?" Zane's face was anguished. "Christ, Alec...Can you take that chance? Cause I sure as hell can't."

Alec sat back in shock. "No," he said, looking away as he processed everything Zane had told him. "No. I can't."

He stood decisively. "Looks like my timetable just got moved up too, Zane." A moment later he was out the door, leaving Zane in the cage.

* * *

"Here, Alec. The final list." Dix handed over a sheet of paper, hand shaking ever so slightly. "We lost 18, and we counted 29 enemy dead before we pulled out."

Alec took the paper without looking at it. He already knew all the names by heart. "Thanks, Dix. Are we ready to start moving out? Everyone got their paperwork?"

Dix gave him a long look. "Yeah. Yeah, we're ready."

"Good." Alec folded the paper with rapid movements. He patted Dix on the shoulder. "Lighten up, Dix! This is a good thing for us." He flashed his trademark grin. "Trust me!"

"Of course!" Dix assured him hastily. "I'll let everyone know." He scurried away.

Alec watched him go, a smile curving his lips. Dix had been a godsend the past three days, the master organizer at work. Once Zane had dropped his bombshell, Alec's decision had been made. He had been preparing for the eventuality from the moment Zane had demonstrated the tattoo technology that could hide them in the real world, and the temperature masking drugs had just made it all the easier. With the addition of asylum and citizenship in Canada for them, plus the exposure that the transgenic - Familiar fight had caused for Terminal City, Alec knew the time had come. It was time to give the order; time to go to ground.

Max slid under his arm, cuddling close. She was still leaving, but she had agreed to wait and help with the organization of the exodus. The knowledge of her impending absence had made every touch and caress something to be treasured. She felt it too, and had made an effort to demonstrate her feelings at every opportunity. Now, she placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head to give him a quick kiss.

"It's almost time," he told her.

"I know." Her eyes searched his. "This is the right decision, Alec. Exactly right."

He smiled at her. "I know." He hugged her closer. "You were right, by the way," he said casually. "The medical records show Case's barcode faded before he was a year old. Gia is a lot happier with the thought that the twins won't have to be tattood."

"Good! I knew there wasn't one visible until Lydecker got hold of him." She shuddered, then wiggled a little closer. "Alec, I'm going to leave tonight." She paused, then continued more tentatively. "I'd like to see Zane before I leave."

Alec laughed. "I suppose we should let him out sometime." He turned dancing eyes on her, drinking in her relieved smile. "He'll be there. I promise."

 

* * *

"So, you've finally decided to let me out of here." Zane looked tired, hungry, and supremely unimpressed as he glared through the interlocking wire of the cage. At some point he had managed to get his hands free, and now he folded his arms and waited crossly.

"Yep." Alec leaned over, grabbed the mesh near the base of the cage, and lifted with a grunt. The cage flipped up away from its floor and crashed onto its side.

Zane stared at the cage floor under his feet in shock. " _It wasn't locked?_ "

"Nope." Rhys laughed from his position at the doorway.

"You... You..." Zane spluttered at him, fists clenching.

"Why are you blaming him?" Alec snickered. "Could have been my idea."

"No." Zane's voice was certain as he glared at Rhys. " _Your_ sense of humour would have been to weld it shut."

"Couldn't find a propane torch," Alec admitted.

Zane couldn't help it; he laughed. "OK," he said, giving in with good grace. "Let's get out of here." Alec stopped him and handed him his transmitter.

"These are expensive," he said with a grin. "You might want to give this one back to them."

They headed up and out of the depths of the basement, Zane moving more stiffy than usual but otherwise seeming none the worse for his captivity. Alec steered them towards the cafeteria.

"Hey... where is everyone?" Zane lifted an eyebrow at the echoing hallways.

"Most have headed out already." Alec told him brusquely. Zane stared at him, startled. Alec took pity on him as they entered the eating hall, where Max was waiting for them. "We're scattering." He shot a sideways look at Zane. "Most of the animal based transgenics and about three quarters of the X-series have decided to head for Canada. We've already gotten the paperwork from the Canadian embassy. I have to say, they do work fast."

"They wanted everyone, but some of us decided to take a slightly different mission." Max grinned as she handed Zane a mug of coffee and a sandwich.

"Everyone was sad to go; but with the fact that we're now undetectable, it made sense." Rhys chimed in, grabbing his own cup of coffee. "The fact is that most of us want our kids to grow up in the world, you know?"

Zane nodded slowly, catching Alec's eye. Alec just looked back at him blandly. When Zane spoke, it was to Max. "So, you're still leaving then?"

"Yeah." Max shook her hair back over her shoulder. "I want to find the others. And there's a lot more who feel the same way." Alec put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. Zane thought she looked more relaxed than she had since he'd arrived. "There are a lot of us that have friends that are still accounted for," she continued. "So we're heading out to round 'em up and send them to one of our secure locations, to get tattooed and a supply of the drugs and new paperwork."

"We've got six safe houses already." Alec told him. "I've been working on this for a while. The rest, like Rhys, are heading out tonight." He grinned as he saw Joshua enter the room and head towards them. "Josh and I are staying here."

Joshua huffed happily as he reached them. "Alec and Joshua, making trouble," he laughed. Alec cleared his throat hastily.

"Uh.. we're going to be co-ordinating from here," he said, looking as innocent as possible as Max glared at him. "The CDC was extremely interested in the information we gave them. They say they want to deal." Alec's eyes hardened, and his voice grew icy.

"They don't know who they're 'dealing' with." Rhys quipped, and Alec gave a swift grin.

"No deals," he said. "Just terms."

"Virus bitch, going down!" Joshua contributed.

Alec's lips twitched at the familiar statement, but manfully he refrained from comment. "The important thing is that everyone knows how to stay hidden, and live their lives as normal or not as they want."

Joshua's eyes gleamed. "Transgenics, living in the light." He said seriously. "This, you gave us, Alec. You and Max."

Alec opened his mouth to answer, but Max beat him to it. "It was all Alec," she declared. "I would never have come up with this." Her lips twisted in a self-deprecating smile. "I'm a little too focussed on staying in one place to think of scattering to the winds and hiding in plain sight."

Zane shook his head in admiration. "I had no idea you'd thought so far ahead, Alec. You organized this in an amazingly short time."

Alec looked at him with expressionless eyes. "Mobilization 529," he said. "You must have missed that class."

Rhys snickered, and Max licked her lips to hide her smile. Zane rolled his eyes. "Still," he replied. "I'm impressed."

"You can't kill what you can't see, Zane." Alec sounded impatient. "Our problem has always been visibility." He ran a hand across the back of his own freshly tattooed neck, which looked like perfect, untouched flesh. "So the answer was obvious, don't you think?"

"Hide, obscure the scene, leave, or join the enemy." Zane nodded.

"Sometimes the answer is 'all of the above'." Rhys piped up softly.

"Zane." Max's voice was hesitant. "I was wondering... would you come with me?"

The silence at the table was absolute.

Max gave a nervous look at Alec, then forged ahead. "I just think we'd have more luck with your resources behind us, and well... The others might believe me more easily if you were there too."

Zane still looked stunned. "I'll have to check in, Max. But I think it would be OK."

Max grinned, then looked up at Alec's still face. She hugged him, and under the guise of nuzzling his jaw she asked, "Are you all right with that?"

Alec's lips quirked and he kissed her, then buried his nose in her hair. "It's ok," he murmured back. " _This_ one looks at you like a brother." She laughed.

Johan arrived, black jeans, charcoal turtleneck, and leather jacket showing off his Nordic good looks. He flashed a grin at the group and shifted his canvas duffel from his hand to his shoulder, then shook Zane's hand. "Welcome back!" he said, then turned to Alec. "I'm off, Boss."

"Safe trip, Johan." Alec shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Where you headed?" Zane was curious.

Johan and Rhys exchanged a grin. "I'm heading to Toronto," he told Zane with a wink. "There's a bunch of nuns I hear would _really_ like to meet me."

 

* * *

Alec stared at the urn in his hand. He'd arranged for the bodies of his fallen friends to be cremated, knowing how they would hate the idea of being used as fodder for experimentation again, even dead. He'd given orders to have the ashes scattered in the ocean off of Matthews Beach Park, but he'd kept the task of releasing this particular set of ashes for himself.

He looked up, bracing himself as a gust of air rocked him a little. He blamed the tears in his eyes on the lash of the wind, and placed his hand on the lid, ready to unscrew it. He stopped, unable to make his hand move.

Another hand covered his, helping him, and Alec turned his head to see Joshua, tears glittering in his inhuman eyes. Joshua lifted his hand from the lid and turned it himself, then helped Alec turn it over. The wind took the dark stream of ash and flung it into the sky, into a glittering shower of motes against the moonlit sky. Alec heaved a deep breath. "A beauty in death he knew not in life." he quoted softly.

"This was a good choice, Alec." Joshua patted him on the shoulder.

"Ah," Alec said dismissively, shrugging and pursing his lips. "I just couldn't see a desert soldier being happy with being dropped in the ocean. And the last thing I want is Mole's ghost pumping that shotgun in my ear for the rest of my life."

Joshua laughed, and there was an answering rich chuckle from inside the deck. Alec threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. "It's a good thing I don't come up here for _privacy_ ," he declared with annoyance. Rhys poked his head out, then swung himself onto the roof with unconscious grace. He crossed and looked out at the still falling glitter of ash.

"Bye, Mole," he said simply, raising his hand in a wave. Alec just stared at him. He opened his mouth, but Rhys forestalled him with a gesture. "Don't even start," he told Alec without turning. "I'm not going, and you can't make me." Now he did tilt his head, shooting Alec a sideways look. "Just think of me as the other half of the relationship that just won't end."

Alec recognized the uselessness of arguing. "Great." He smirked. "Whenever I envisioned being stalked, I always pictured someone a little more... feminine."

"Uh huh. You know, Biggs told me all about Normal, Alec. I'd say I'm a step up." Rhys exchanged a grin with Joshua. "Plus, I don't actually _want_ to..."

"Enough!" Alec cut him off with a grin, then he looked at the urn in his hand and his face became stern. He straightened to attention, and Rhys and Joshua followed suit, Rhys with perfect precision, and Joshua with a good imitation. "We say goodbye to a good soldier, and a true friend." The three snapped their arms up into salutes in perfect unison, as if they had rehearsed together for years. After a long moment, they relaxed, and turned away.

Rhys reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of Glenfiddich. From the other, he produced two small glasses. He gave an apologetic look. "I didn't know Josh would be here," he said by way of explanation, then handed him one of the glasses. He passed the other to Alec, poured them both a generous portion, and raised the bottle.

"To absent friends," he said, and Alec saw on his face that he was thinking of Biggs. He and Joshua raised their glasses, then, before they could drink, Alec gave a wide smile.

"And to present ones."

"To friends, here... and gone." Rhys said firmly, and Alec and Joshua nodded.

"To friends, here and gone!" They chorused. They saluted each other, and drank.

-30-


End file.
